Manchester City complete the signing of Leroy Sané
Manchester City have confirmed the signing of German wonderkid Leroy Sané from Schalke 04 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £37 million with a series of add-ons that could see it rise in future.
After protracted negotiations lasting several months, Sané has signed a long-term deal and will wear the number 19 shirt at City.
First linked with a move to the Etihad in January, Sané has been one of City’s primary targets in 2016 as Pep Guardiola looks to freshen up the squad with young players that fit his football philosophy. A rapid winger with excellent technical ability, Sané has mostly been deployed on the right by Schalke.
In his first full season for Schalke, he made 38 Bundesliga appearances (23 starts), scoring 8 goals and registering 6 assists. He completed 92 successful take-ons in the last campaign, almost double the amount that Jesús Navas managed. He was rewarded for his excellent form with a call-up to Germany’s Euro 2016 squad, and already has four senior caps for Die Mannschaft.
Guardiola is no stranger to the 20-year-old, having coached Bayern Munich against Schalke in the Bundesliga for several years. When quizzed about Sané in November, Pep spoke glowingly of the player, saying, “Sané is a huge talent and I can only congratulate Germany to have a talent like him.”