20-year-old Leroy Sane is a wanted man this summer, and he will almost certainly be on the move. Schalke held out as long as they could, but the player has forced their hand.
Schakle sporting directer Christian Heidel confirmed to German publication RevierSport that Sane has requested a move, and that there is a bid that has been submitted by an English club. “Leroy Sané’s agent has informed us that Leroy wants to leave this summer.” Heidel did not specify the English club, but RevierSport reports that it is Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola is well acquainted with Sane, having managed in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich the last three seasons. Sane assisted Schalke’s only goal against Bayern last season. He made his competitive debut with the German national team in the semi-final loss to France in Euro 2016, coming off the bench with 11 minutes to go.
As recently as a week ago, Heidel had told media that Sane had not requested to leave and that he was not for sale. “Leroy has not told us that he wants to leave Schalke for now,” Heidel told German publication Bild. “If that were to happen, interested clubs could approach us to discuss a move. If Leroy wants a transfer, we will make a quick decision on what happens. I want to emphasize it is our decision. It is important that our plans for 2016-17 are not affected by it.”
The estimates are that Sane will command around $55 million on the open market, although it’s not clear how much the initial Manchester City bid is worth. Heidel has made it clear the past few weeks that should Sane be sold, he would prefer it happen quickly, citing the transfer of Julian Draxler last summer to Wolfsburg that happened on Deadline Day, leaving Schalke unable to find a replacement.
