Bayern finally gets its man, signs Leroy Sané from Man City

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich finally ended its long pursuit of Leroy Sané on Friday, signing the Germany winger from Manchester City to a five-year contract.

The German club said the 24-year-old former Schalke player agreed to a deal through June 2025 and will start preparing for the upcoming season next week.

“He is an outstanding player who has proven his qualities over the past few years, especially in the national team,” Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. “Our goal is to gather the best German players at FC Bayern and the signing of Leroy emphasizes this goal.”

City was already resigned to losing the speedy forward, who had one year left on his contract. City manager Pep Guardiola said Sané had rejected “two or three” offers to extend his contract.

Bayern will reportedly pay just under 50 million euros ($56.3 million) for the player, less than half what the club expected to pay last year before he sustained a serious knee ligament injury in the Community Shield against Liverpool on Aug. 4. The injury put a hold on the move and Sané only returned for City as a late substitute against Burnley on June 22. It was his only league appearance since the injury.

Sané won the Premier League twice, in 2018 and 2019, as well as the FA Cup, three League Cups and two Community Shields since joining City from Schalke in 2016.

“I want to win as many trophies as possible with FC Bayern, and the Champions League is the top priority,” said Sané, who knows Bayern coach Hansi Flick from his time on Germany’s under-21 team.

Sané is already familiar with many of his new teammates from his playing days at Schalke (Leon Goretzka) or German youth teams (Serge Gnabry, Niklas Süle and Joshua Kimmich).

“This transfer will make the team even more attractive. Those responsible have done well,” former Bayern president Uli Hoeneß told broadcaster Sport1.

Sané’s arrival and the presence of Gnabry and France winger Kingsley Coman will help Bayern get over the departure of Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben. The future of Ivan Perisic, who is on loan from Inter Milan, remains open, while Philippe Coutinho is expected to depart the club with Bayern declining to sign the Brazilian at the end of his loan deal from Barcelona.

Sané is the son of former Senegal player Souleymane Sané and former rhythmic gymnast Regina Weber, who won a bronze medal while competing for West Germany at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Sané has scored five goals in 21 appearances for Germany since making his debut in 2015. Germany coach Joachim Löw omitted Sané from his squad for the 2018 World Cup, when the defending champions were eliminated in the first round. He was later recalled as Löw promised a shake-up.

Sané is Bayern’s third reinforcement for the new season after the free transfers of goalkeeper Alexander Nübel from league rival Schalke and 18-year-old defender Tanguy Nianzou Kouassi from Paris Saint-Germain.