Bayern look to be playing winning game to get Sane
BAYERN Munich are looking to Bayern Munich their way to a transfer deal once again.
As with last year, there was so much noise whipped up about Leroy Sane that it seemed like a done deal, and yet 900 miles from
Munich, City were still waiting for an opening offer.
That Bayern eventually had to apologise for overstepping the mark has not stopped them using the same tactics this summer - and why not, if they felt like the strategy would have worked if not for the Community Shield injury that has kept Sane out for the season so far?
Deputy chairman Uli Hoeness became the latest Bayern figure to openly speak of a move for the German winger over the weekend when he named Sane alongside four players already at the club to make a point about a new era.
Hoeness may not be as important as he used to be in Bavaria having stepped down as president last year, but his name still has sufficient clout to prick ears at the Etihad.
The risk of such public confidence is that the selling club can be antagonised - as they have been.
City already start from a position of wanting neither to move from their valuations nor - in the few instances they do business with them - lose out to any of the established European heavyweights. Suggesting a deal was being done without them only prompted the Blues to go public with a sky-high valuation, trying to force Bayern to put their money where their extremely active mouth was. Already this summer, the indication of an opening gambit to start negotiations has been laughed out of the Etihad as the club gears up for deja vu.
But as well as Sane’s contract being closer to expiring, and the encouragement they will have picked up from his new representatives, Bayern will take encouragement from Pep
Bayern will take encouragement from Pep Guardiola’s stance on Sane last summer Simon Bajkowski
Guardiola’s stance on the matter last summer. His first comment on interest in the player then hardly came across as a hands-off message or a plea to keep him, instead pointing out that Sane knew exactly what he would get if he stayed.
“I spoke to the club 10 times, I want people here to be happy,” he concluded.
“If they don’t want, they go. The desire to have him to be with us is always there.”
The Blues boss does not have large squads and so needs complete commitment from every player he does pick. The message about players leaving if they don’t want to be at the club was used by the manager before Sane – and has been used since.
Bayern know this about their former coach, and if they can convince Sane to commit to their project, that forces City into a compromise.
If the manager no longer wants the player, it is harder for the club to hold out with a stance that they would rather keep him until the end of his contract than let Bayern get a good deal.
That isn’t to say that Guardiola always gets what he wants with transfers - look at the club not signing a centre-back last summer despite him wanting one - but would be a further strengthening of Bayern’s position if they can weaken the message on Sane coming out of Manchester.
While the Bundesliga has held attention for the last few weeks as the first major league to resume, there will be at least one German club interested in Guardiola’s press conferences when the Premier League come back in a fortnight.