German international Leroy Sane will stay put at the Etihad Stadium till next season before leaving for Bayern Munich, FutballNews understands.
The 23-year-old is currently recovering from injury and has only made one appearance for Manchester City this season in the Community Shield win over Liverpool in August. Despite undergoing successful surgery, the German is not expected to return to the pitch until at least March.
Sane’s current contract at the Etihad runs out in June 2020 and has struggled to hold down a spot in the starting eleven. Also, City manager Pep Guardiola has played Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva ahead of the German this season. He has also found himself often coming off the bench to make an impact.
Despite Sane not featuring since August, the champions have slipped 14 points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League and Guardiola always remained optimistic Sane could make a return when he is fit. During his five-year spell at the Etihad, Sané has won two Premier League titles and an FA Cup since his £37m move.
In the summer, the Bundesliga champions wanted to sign him but the deal fell through due to City’s high valuation of the player. Report says that if Bayern wants the winger, Manchester City would demand up to £137million from the German giants. But Sane’s late to return to fitness until February may make the deal difficult to pull off.
However, according to the Daily Star, Pep Guardiola has ‘won the race’ to keep hold of Sane this winter and will not allow him to leave in January.
Guardiola has consistently stated his desire to keep the 23-year-old who has scored 39 times for the Sky Blues in all competitions.
“The club made him an offer last year. So, I have said many times, we only want people happy to be here,” the City boss stated, back in July.
“We are going to help him to be the best, we know his potential and what level he is. He has a special quality that is difficult to find around the world.
“He knows, they all know, all the forwards, all the midfielders, how difficult it is to play, it’s difficult because of the quality we have.
“But, at the same time I spoke to the club ten times and I want people here to be happy, if they don’t want, they go. The desire to have him be with us is always there.”
Bayern are still expected to make a move for Sané again in the 2020 summer window, with the player reportedly keen on a move back to the Bundesliga.
