Manchester City have dropped the biggest hint yet that Leroy Sane will stay at the club next season.
The Blues today for the 2019-20 season – and the Germany international is front and centre for some of the promotional pictures.
Sane has been stalling on signing a new deal at City, with two years left on his current contract and with Bayern Munich said to be ready to pay up to £80million for his services.
Players and officials of the Bundesliga giants – and even national team boss Joachim Low – have been queuing up to say what a great fit Sane would be as Bayern seek to rebuild after losing wide men Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
City have been faced with the dilemma of persuading Sane – who started 21 league games last season – that his future lies with them, while knowing that his transfer value will drop dramatically next summer if the contract goes unsigned.
Reports from Germany have suggested that Bayern have given up on trying to prise the 23-year-old away.
And the fact that Sane, who is currently on holiday in the USA, is so prominent in pushing PUMA’s new strips could be significant.
PUMA targeted Sane, along with Raheem Sterling, as individual players they wanted to add to their stable of athletes after announcing a new ten-year £650million deal with City last year.
There has been talk that the German sportswear giants, who already have Sergio Aguero on a £1.5million contract, have come up with a £1million deal for Sane.
With City said to be offering a pay rise which would put him on £150,000 a week plus lucrative bonuses, that double sweetener may have been enough to convince the fans’ favourite to stay at the Etihad Stadium – although there has been no official confirmation yet.
