Contrary to popular perception, Manchester City have spent the last couple of years trying not to spend a penny more than they have to.
Having paid both clubs and players over the odds as they tried to break into the top table of English football, the Blues have moved away from that strategy with their seat at the table secure; no longer desperate for success, they can afford to take a more aggressive stance in negotiations - despite the greater risk of it not paying off.
It was shown when they spent months haggling over Jorginho only to be gazumped by Chelsea, or when they waited a few months and knocked £30m off Riyad Mahrez's Leicester price-tag, or when they ended their interest in Frenkie de Jong when it became clear they would have to make the 19-year-old the club's top earner, or when they would not sign Alexis Sanchez for the sake of it (what a coup that turned out to be for United!).
And it also applies to their own players. City were willing to let Raheem Sterling head off to the World Cup last summer without a new contract. As it was, an industrious but underappreciated tournament failed to spark a transfer chase going into the final two years of his deal, but so consistent was his form and so credible the interest of Real Madrid that a bumper new deal was agreed by November.
Leroy Sane provides another test of City's hardline approach. The club have tried for much of the last season to convince their German speedster to extend his time at the Etihad, but have not been able to agree terms.
On the one hand, Sane's stock is lower than it was this time 12 months ago. Dropped at the beginning of the campaign despite being one of the few first-team players to have a full pre-season, the 23-year-old certainly had his moments but ended up out of favour again.
Pep Guardiola challenged him to meet the standard of Bernardo Silva and Sterling back in February as he admitted the player's confidence had dipped; judging by two starts from the final ten games of the season, the response wasn't enough.
However, the club still want him to stay and the fact he has just two years left on his original contract means his value will only go down with every remaining transfer window a new deal is not signed.
Enter Bayern Munich making very public overtures about signing the player, complete with public backing from Germany coach Joachim Low and Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke, and the pressure will very much be on City this week when they sit down for talks with Sane's representatives about a contract extension.
