Leroy Sane has dealt Bayern Munich a surprise blow after catching them off guard with a last-minute contract U-turn and changing his agent, according to a report.
The forward is said to have largely agreed terms on a new deal and was poised to put pen to paper on a three-year extension until 2028 with reduced wages, taking his salary down to around €15million, approximately four to six million euros less per year.
Sane had publicly revealed his desire to stay with the recently crowned Bundesliga champions and the club hierarchy expected negotiations to be wrapped up promptly.
But in a bombshell meeting on Saturday night, Sane informed bosses he would be working with Pini Zahavi and leaving former representatives 11Wins.
Sky in Germany claim the 29-year-old is now dissatisfied with the package on the table and he will no longer consider a lower salary without a signing fee, which team-mates Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala received with their new deals.
Despite being caught by surprise, Bayern’s management don’t plan to make major changes to the terms on offer and are awaiting Zahavi’s demands.
Leroy Sane has shocked Bayern Munich after making a last-minute contract U-turn
Vincent Kompany now faces the prospect of losing one of his forwards on a free transfer
Sane is now working with agent Pini Zahavi and the club are awaiting his new demands
CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen told Abendzeitung: ‘Leroy is having a good season. Zahavi is an experienced agent, not always easy to negotiate with. But that’s just how it is. We’ll see how it goes. Max Eberl is doing an excellent job with Christoph Freund.’
President Herbert Hainer struck a similarly optimistic tone, adding: ‘I don’t know his motives. We’ve usually almost always reached an agreement with Zahavi. I’m an optimist by nature. Leroy has said often enough that he wants to stay.’
Sky claim Sane, who was on the books at Manchester City between 2016 and 2020, could return to the Premier League if he doesn’t sign an extension.
He is said to prefer a move to London, which he has been known to enjoy visiting on his days off, and Arsenal are reportedly interested in snapping him up.
Chelsea could also be in the picture. Christopher Nkunku – another forward advised by Zahavi – is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer over a lack of game time and that would free up a spot for Sane in Enzo Maresca’s plans.
At present, a switch to Saudi Arabia is not thought to be an option for Sane.
Fresh talks between Zahavi and Bayern are expected to take place soon and Sky report that both camps are hopeful of a quick decision.
Sane has scored 11 goals and bagged five assists in his 28 Bundesliga appearances this season and has won the German title four times since signing in 2020.
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Christopher Nkunku could leave Chelsea and that would free up room for a swoop for Sane
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‘It’s going to be a big one and we are very excited about it,’ he said.
‘When you are going to go again, we want to increase the depth of the squad and the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step.
‘Every summer is big because it is an opportunity and especially because of the number of players we have in the squad right now, that is necessary.
‘But it’s a big summer for many things because first of all we have to maintain the good foundations that we have and then how can we improve and evolve the team.’
