‘He helped me’ - Arsenal strive to sign two-time Premier League winner that has great bond with Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta is said to be looking to use his Manchester City links to his advantage as he looks to strike a blockbuster deal with top Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane.
The Spainard worked closely with Sane during his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at the Etihad Stadium and is now pushing hard for a reunion with the pacey German forward.
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Hide AdSane was a huge hit during his time in England as he registered 25 goals and 28 assists in 90 appearances for Manchester City. The youngster, alongside the likes of Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero, formed part of the attack which lifted two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups between 2016 and 2020.
The 28-year-old has continued this fine form since moving to Bayern Munich in 2020 and has registered 29 goals and 34 assists in 123 league matches whilst winning an incredible three Bundesliga titles and two DFL-Supercups.
Sane is believed to be an important part of Vincent Kompany’s team as the Belgian plans to regain the title from Xabi Alonso’s formidable Bayer Leverkusen invincibles. However, the 28-year-old has just one-year remaining on his deal and talks over an extension have stalled for several months, fuelling speculation that the Bavarian giants could look to cash in on Sane rather than losing him on a free.
Sane has operated at the top of European football for the best part of a decade and has represented Germany 65-times throughout his career. He was part of the Bayern Munich team which eliminated Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final last term, but used the pre-match build-up as a chance to praise his former mentor Arteta.
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Hide AdHeading into the game, Sane said: "I was very happy to work with him. He helped me a lot there.
"We had a lot of face-to-face conversations about how I can improve my game. I improved a lot because of his ideas, be it positional play or how I have to act in different situations."
Football.London understands that Arteta remains an admirer of Sane and claims that he may see the German’s contract situation as the perfect chance to pounce with a cut-price offer.
Arsenal’s priority is thought to still be the centre forward position, but Sane is a player with a proven track record of winning the league and someone that could provide competition to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli next term.
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