The German international pens five-year deal with the Sky Blues – Bet on Man City Outright Market with Bet365!
(Image credit: ManCity Twitter)
Man City have sealed the signing of winger Leroy Sane from Bundesliga side Schalke for a £37 million fee with a contract running until 2021. The young forward didn’t travel with the rest of Die Knappen’s squad to their pre-season training camp in Austria as he wanted to secure a move to Pep Guardiola’s new side.
“I feel really good, I’m happy to be here and happy that it had all worked out. Now I can settle here in Manchester and play for City,” said the 20-year-old to Man City’s official website. “One of the reasons I decided to join City was Pep Guardiola, he convinced me to come here and that I can continue to progress. I know I will learn a lot under him and now I can take the next step in my career.”
“I followed Pep at Barcelona and at Bayern where he achieved a lot and worked really well with young players. I think he can make me a more complete player. I think I will need a bit of time to start with because it’s another league and there’s a different style of play but I think I can adapt very quickly.”
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Sane made his first official debut for Schalke in the 2013/14 season at the age of 18 when he came on as a substitute for Max Meyer in the 77th minute of a 3-1 away loss to Stuttgart. The following season he played 13 games in the Bundesliga scoring three goals in the process, while adding another goal in his solitary appearances in Europe. The 2015/16 season proved to be his breakthrough year as Leroy made an impressive 33 appearances in the league and 7 on the continent, finding the back of the net on 8 and 1 occasion respectively. Overall, he’s made 57 appearances and scored 13 goals during his two-year spell with the Gelsenkirchen side.
Sane becomes Man City’s fifth summer signing as new boss Guardiola sets out on his revolution in the blue side of Manchester. The club has already bought the likes of midfielder Ilkay Gundogan (from Dortmund), winger Nolito (from Celta de Vigo), midfielder Oleksandr Zinchencko (from Ufa) and midfielder Aaron Mooy (from Melbourne).
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It’s time to #WelcomeLeroy to City! MORE
https://t.co/6njzfmEfqR https://t.co/fRn0Nk6pLY — Manchester City (@ManCity) August 2, 2016
According to Sky Sports, the transfer deal to bring Sane to Man City has cost the club £37 million, however other sources state the fee is around the £42.5 million mark – it’s quite possible the former amount is the initial fee while the latter is incentive-based dependent on certain conditions. With the £42.5 million fee included, it brings Man City’s summer spending to a total of £82.45 million.
Leroy’s purchase resembles that of Mario Gotze’s for Bayern three years ago when Guardiola took over the helm of the German powerhouse – a move that saw the talented midfielder struggle with integration into the squad during his three-year stay at the Allianz Arena. Gotze’s peak came in the summer of 2014 when he scored the winning goal in extra-time of the World Cup final against Argentina in Brazil that handed Germany their fourth world title, but besides that his performances at club level were below expectations.
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Man City are the favourites for the title next season 3.50 (5/2), while cross-town rivals Man United – a club that’s being headed by Pep Guardiola’s old nemesis Jose Mourinho – are underdogs for the crown 4.33 (10/3), per online sportsbook Bet365. Chelsea and Arsenal are third 6.50 (11/2) and fourth 7.00 (6/1) favourites, while Tottenham and Liverpool are heavy underdogs as both carry odds of 10.00 (11/1). Current Premier League champions Leicester City have been assigned outsider chances 29.00 (28/1) to defend their title next season, however that’s far better than what they were dealt at the start of last season – 5001.00 (5000/1).
The Sky Blues open their 2016/17 campaign on August 13 against Sunderland at the Etihad in what should be a relatively easy match for them. Online sportsbook Bet365 gives them favourites odds 1.20 (1/5), while the Black Cats have been dealt minimal chances 13.00 (12/1) of clinching a victory in their first game of the new season, with a draw 6.50 (11/2) being the most that they can hope for.
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