Bayern Munich are not making plans to sell Leroy Sane despite speculation he could leave the Allianz Arena this summer amid interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
The winger, 26, joined the Bavarian giants in a £55million transfer from Manchester City after excelling in the Premier League. His form for Bayern has been mixed and he has scored 24 goals in 89 appearances for the club, winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles.
Club chiefs were hoping for more of an impact from the Germany international, who has struggled to nail down a starting role under manager Julian Nagelsmann. This has led to speculation Sane could depart for a fresh start elsewhere during the window, and he has no shortage of admirers.
However, Bayern are ready to persist with Sane for at least another year as they do not deem two seasons as enough to fully gauge his quality or whether he has a long-term future. That is according to Sky Sport Germany who claim Sane's situation at Bayern is not a straightforward one and confirms there has been contact with Arsenal.
The report adds Sane must improve his performances to live up to the standards expected of him, but insists it is too soon to regard him as someone Bayern are actively trying to offload.
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The news comes as a blow to Premier League duo Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as Spanish giants Real, who are in the market to strengthen Carlo Ancelotti's attack.
Even though he has not shown his best form in his native Germany, Sane proved he is a world-class wide-man on his day during his time with City. He played 135 times in all competitions for the Sky Blues, scoring 39 goals and helping Pep Guardiola’s side to win two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups and one FA Cup.
He may be spurred on this season as he faces increased competition for a starting role following the arrival of Sadio Mane from Liverpool for £35million.
Sane and Mane started for Bayern on Thursday morning during their pre-season victory over Major League Soccer side DC United, who are managed by England’s all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney.
Mane opened the scoring from the penalty spot, while Marcel Sabitzer, Serge Gnabry, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Thomas Muller were also in target in the 6-2 win.
Bayern are next in pre-season action in Green Bay on Sunday morning for a friendly against City, giving Sane the chance to feature against his former club.
