After two years of fighting for Leroy Sane, Manchester City and Bayern Munich could now be prepared for a different argument – who has the better offer from his transfer?
Bayern will pay 49 million euros in advance with 11 million euros in add-ons, bringing the deal to £ 54.8 million, was confirmed yesterday.
City loses one of its best attackers, but Sane had signaled his wish to leave Etihad and could have received a free transfer next summer. Due to his injury this season, he only played 11 minutes since August, so City has received a large transfer fee for a player who was not part of the first team picture.
In his three seasons with the club, Sane scored 39 goals in 135 games and added 45 assists. That is a target contribution every 106 minutes. He also had an impressive 74 percent win rate on his sky blue games.
Sane, who cost £ 46m from Schalke, won seven trophies in City, and his win against Liverpool in the Premier League last season was instrumental in winning the title ahead of the Reds. It’s fair to say that City got their money’s worth.
But that record shows what City is going to lose, and even though they got along without it this season, they also lost their Premier League crown. Signing a Sanes quality winger for an entry fee of £ 44m is an absolute bargain for Bayern compared to some of the more recent fees paid to players.
Sane undoubtedly has the potential to become one of the world’s best wingers for club and country. It’s fair to say that Bayern get a winger for half the price for £ 100m, and it’s easy to see why they’ll be happy to finally get their husbands.
However, there was talk of Bavaria’s top budget for Sane being £ 35m. For City, given the circumstances of his contract, it is good business to get another £ 20m from the German club – especially after they have publicly followed him over the past two years.
But that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
This deal is another example of City’s bargaining power and complements a long list of impressive transfer fees for players who may not be worth as much as City received for them.
Take Angelino, who impressed on loan at RB Leipzig after returning to City for half the price he had sold to PSV Eindhoven a year earlier. The city has negotiated a fee of 30 million euros for Leipzig to make the move permanent. However, due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the German association is unlikely to exercise this right.
A look at City’s other recent sales shows that negotiations are better for unproven or aging players. Danilo went for around £ 33m – a £ 6m gain – after failing to crowd out Kyle Walker. Douglas Luiz, who did not appear on the first team, switched to Aston Villa for £ 15m and Fabian Delph got £ 8m from Everton, although he was not popular with City.
Another player who forced a change, Brahim Diaz, cost Real Madrid £ 15m, although he only played 15 senior appearances, while Angus Gunn (£ 10m), Pablo Maffeo (£ 8m), Aaron Mooy (£ 8m) and Jason Denayer (£ 5m) all received substantial fees, although the first team was not disturbed.
Then there are the flops where Wilfried Bony (£ 11m), Nolito (£ 6m) and Fernando (£ 5m) have been sold within the last three seasons for higher transfer fees than their services at City inevitably would have justified.
It doesn’t matter whether a player wants to go or has been rated as not good enough. City will receive the highest possible price for an outgoing player if he can receive it.
Bayern Munich may benefit from City’s development from Sane for the heyday of its career, but City has got its money’s worth over the past three years and made money overall.
It is a transfer where all parties are happy with the result and continues to send a message to the competing clubs that you have to pay if you want to take advantage of City’s coaching.
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