Persistent reports have begun to appear in the Italian media in the last few days outlining Juventus are keen to sign 22 year old Manchester City sensation Leroy Sane.
Following our report early in the week, the rumours regarding the German continue to be reported in the sports papers of Italy and England. After seeing his quality, you can see why.
Sane has developed into a stand out part of Guardiola’s young side since he joined on 2 August 2016. Sane took some time to adjust to life in Manchester following his transfer but his record at City is hugely impressive – he has scored 16 goals in 63 appearances. He has won 3 trophies under Guardiola and seems an integral part of the team.
Since being left out of the German National team for the World Cup there have been whispers of disquiet. There is talk of Sane being unhappy and looking for a move. How much of those rumours are based on truth is impossible to know. I cannot understand why any young player would want to move away from being coached by Pep Guardiola, arguably the best football coach in the world.
Clearly some things have changed for Sane, he has recently become a father so may be looking for some reassurance about continuity. Sane’ s contract expires on 30 June 2021 so is approaching the half way point. Whilst some of his colleagues have been rewarded for their performances with new contracts such as Gabriel Jesus, the same has not yet happened with Sane.
So as is always the problem when transfer stories start being leaked it is difficult to understand exactly what is going on. Is Sane simply looking for a contract renewal and better terms? Is he looking to move? Are Juventus really testing the water or just unsettling the player?
Italian media reports can be notoriously unreliable but given Sane is represented by members of his own family it’s unlikely to be his camp which are briefing the media. The stories are most likely to come from sources close to Juventus.
Calciomercato are reporting Manchester City are willing to negotiate for the player and have asked for Paulo Dybala in exchange. Whilst some kind of swap deal may well appeal to Manchester City, especially when it is expected City are looking to recruit a new striker in the next year, I find it hard to understand why City would be looking to offload such an exciting prospect.
City fans will have to watch as the story develop over the next few months. Hopefully Sane will sign a new contract and we can return to focus on the games ahead.