MOST WANTED Injured but Valuable
This buzz-saw of a winger, who tore
ligaments in his right knee in August’s
Community Shield and hasn’t made a
competitive appearance this term, is
one unlucky guy.
At the time of his breakdown
on the Wembley turf he was on the
verge of moving to Bayern Munich in
a €120million transaction that would
have made him the most expensive
German player of all time. A cruel
twist of fate, indeed.
The smart money says that the
24-year-old does not have a future
at Manchester City, where coach Pep
Guardiola is thought to have reservations
about the wide man’s mentality,
perplexed by his habit of switching
the intensity switch on and off. Too
laid-back in training, too irregular
in his performances on match days,Sane’s statistics for the second half of
last season tell their own story, starting
just three of City’s last 10 Premier
League fixtures and omitted from
every big game.
A £37m purchase from Schalke
in the summer of 2016, he has grown
thoroughly frustrated in England and
a bench-warming mission is no use
to a full international with 21 senior
caps and a reputation for explosive,
adroit excellence.
Yes, he is prone to inconsistency. Yes,
he can be aloof and lacking in positive
body language. But when firing on all
cylinders he is undoubtedly a class act,
a compelling mixture of breakneck speed
and mesmerising ball skills, the balletic
and the ballistic.
Bayern still have him in their sights
and director of sport Hasan Salihamidzichas been working on putting a deal
together. He is naturally aware of the ace
card in his possession: the fact that the
winger has no intention of negotiating a
contract extension and City will not want
to see him leave on a Bosman next year.
Rumours of Sane’s imminent arrival atthe Allianz-Arena were circulating during
the January transfer window, but Bayern
chose to play it safe, opting to wait until
the player is fully fit again.
Just to further complicate proceedings,
German weekly Sport Bild claims that
Barcelona and Real Madrid have entered(Tottenham Hotspur)
The England
centre-forward
has been out with
a hamstring injury
all year – not that
it has affected his
value. Any buyer
would have to
cough up at
least £150m.
And no one
would expect
Spurs chairman
Daniel Levy to
offer a discount.(Manchester United)
It’s common
knowledge that
the midfielder is
desperate to leave
Old Trafford. His
former employers
at Juventus and
Real Madrid coach
Zinedine Zidane
would both love to
give him his own
escape plan. Ankle
trouble has kept
him out for most
of 2019-20.HARRY KANE PAUL POGBA
LEROY SANE
(Manchester City)The winger has no intention of
negotiating a contract extension
and City will not want to see him
leave on a Bosman next year