Galatasaray have outmanoeuvred Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and numerous other suitors to sign Leroy Sané on a free transfer, multiple reports have claimed.
The future of the former Manchester City winger has been a very public talking point for many at Bayern Munich. After reports claimed Sané was on the cusp of extending his stay in Bavaria beyond June 30—when his current deal expires—a change in the player’s representation coincided with a notable shift in stance.
Bayern’s board member for sport Max Eberl confirmed in May that Sané and his new agents had rejected the terms offered by the Bundesliga champions. This opened the door for Arsenal and, as it later emerged, Tottenham, to monitor a potential free transfer for a serial league champion.
There was also interest from Al Hilal and José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, yet Turkish giants Galatasaray have reportedly won the race for Sané’s coveted signature. Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg was the first to reveal Gala’s offer back in May and the same outlet claimed on Wednesday morning that a deal had been struck.
Both The Athletic and Fabrizio Romano revealed that a “broad agreement” over a three-year contract had been settled, with multiple reports revealing that Sané is set to bank an annual salary of up to €15 million (£12.7 million, $17.1 million). Bayern had supposedly been only willing to stretch to a maximum of €12–13 million (£10.2–11 million, $13.7–14.9 million).
Arsenal were billed as “very strong contenders” for Sané, who struck up a strong working relationship with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta while the pair were at Manchester City. The German forward has never been slow to laud the impact his former coach had on specific aspects of his game. “I can just say positive things about Mikel Arteta,” he has stated in the past.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Arsenal, Tottenham Lose Out in Leroy Sane Transfer Battle.
