Manchester City: Transfer News and Rumour Roundup 2

The One to Keep an Eye on

Leroy Sane, Schalke 04, 20, Winger

You’ve probably heard of this kid before, though likely not related to Manchester City. He’s been a Chelsea target seemingly since birth and Liverpool recently made a bid for him that was rejected. He also has 3 caps for Germany despite being only 20 and had 10 goals and 8 assists in 33 appearances for  Schalke last season.

Connections with City aren’t common place, but a few German publications, notably BILD, have suggested he and Aubameyang are City’s top targets. Sadly, BILD have such a knack for just making stuff up that if I saw in their weather section that it was to be sunny outside I’d go out to check. Regardless, he is German and he has been at least scouted by City, these things must count for something after all.

This much is for certain, Sane will be made available this summer and Schalke need a big sale. It makes sense for them to turn down Liverpool in the hopes City get involved and offer them a whole new level of cash. At potentially £35 million, he would be an expensive acquisition but not necessarily a bad one for Guardiola. His flexibility of being able to play on the wing or in an attacking midfielder role would provide depth and his youth yet another piece of clay for Pep to mould.

I’m not too sure we’ll see him making the Etihad his home this year, but you never know. Certainly he would be fairly far down the priority list at this stage, with larger gaps in the line-up needing filled up front and particularly at the back. Even with Laporte looking more certain, Manchester City are still left with question marks at left back and right back, all of these things take money and effort to upgrade. When you start thinking like this, then that £35 million plus seems more restrictive and could hamper a deal for Aubameyang.

It’s hard to say, but do keep an eye on this one because City are keeping an eye on Sane.