Arsenal have been given hope of snapping up Bayern Munich forward Leroy Sané on a free transfer this summer amid reports in Germany that negotiations over a contract extension have stalled.
The 29-year-old had to bide his time for a regular role under incoming manager Vincent Kompany—it wasn’t until November that Sané made his first league start of the season.
A combination of injuries and improved form from the former Manchester City forward saw him afforded more first-team opportunities as the campaign wore on, leading to his spot in the first XI for both legs of Bayern Munich's ultimately unsuccessful Champions League quarterfinal against Inter.
This upward trajectory appeared to be reaching the crescendo of Sané signing a new contract. An offer from Bayern Munich is said to be on the table, Sky Germany report, but the German international is yet to put pen to paper, which has given hope to Arsenal and other unnamed English clubs.
Bayern are said to have offered Sané a fixed annual salary of €10 million (£8.4 million; $11.2 million) plus €5.5 million (£4.6 million; $6.1 million) in bonuses, with the deal set to stretch to 2028 but without the lump sum of a signing-on fee. At one point it seemed as though the forward was on the cusp of agreeing to these terms only for a change in player representation to clog up proceedings.
Max Eberl—Bayern’s board member for sport—has publicly stressed that the club are not going to enter into further negotiations.“Leroy and his agency know what we want and they know the conditions,” the increasingly under-pressure director noted. “We hope he decides for us.”
Arsenal are thought to be in the market for attacking additions this summer. Athletic Club’s Nico Williams has long been considered a leading target, although the 22-year-old Spain international doesn’t boast the same experience of the Premier League or working with Mikel Arteta as Sané.
The Gunners manager spent three-and-a-half years alongside Sané while serving as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City assistant manager. The pair forged a close working relationship which Bayern’s No. 10 has done little to downplay in the subsequent years.
“I can just say positive things about Mikel Arteta,” Sané told The Independent back in 2020. “Since we started working together, he has helped me a lot on the pitch. He tried to improve my football, he told me what I did good and what I did wrong, and he tried to work on it. Next to Pep, they both really helped me and improved me, to bring me to the next level.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal ‘Back in the Race’ to Sign Mikel Arteta’s Man City Favourite.
