Arsenal have reportedly suffered a blow in their pursuit of Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane this summer.
The Germany international has spent almost five years at the Allianz Arena and has made a total of 212 appearances for Bayern across all competitions, scoring 59 goals and registering 52 assists.
Sane, a three-time Bundesliga champions who is hoping to win a fourth this term, has chipped in with 11 goals and five assists in 37 games so far this season, featuring regularly under head coach Vincent Kompany.
However, the 29-year-old is facing an uncertain future at Bayern as he is currently due to see his contract expire at the end of June, and negotiations over an extension are yet to reach an advanced stage.
According to Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal remain interested in signing Sane as a free agent this summer and have ‘held fresh talks’ in recent days.
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Sane to snub Arsenal interest and sign new Bayern deal?
However, Plettenberg adds that Bayern chief Max Eberl is planning to offer Sane a new contract, with a new deal until 2028 being discussed.
Bayern’s hierarchy are said to be open to offering the winger a new contract as his performances have been ‘increasingly convincing’, while the German himself is said to be ‘very eager to stay’ at the Allianz Arena.
Sane is willing to accept the necessary salary reduction to remain at Bayern and is focussed on extending his contract at the club despite interest from Arsenal.
Speaking about his future earlier this season, Sane told reporters: “Of course clubs have asked about my situation, but everyone knows my position on the matter.
“I’m not going to deal with it at the moment, I’m going to concentrate on Bayern and try to be as successful as possible with the team.”
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Bayern keen to avoid losing Sane for free this summer
Meanwhile, Eberl told reporters last month: “We know what we have in Leroy. We’ll do our job, and if we think it’s the right thing to do for Leroy, we’ll do it.
“If we don’t think it’s the right thing to do, we won’t do it. Those are the discussions we are having with Leroy and his agency.”
He added: “We know he is available on a free transfer in the summer, but we want to make the decision actively.”
Prior to joining Bayern Munich in 2020, Sane began his career at Schalke 04 before spending four seasons in England with Manchester City where he recorded 39 goals and 43 assists in 135 games and won eight trophies, including two Premier League titles.
Sane joined City in the summer of 2016, the same summer that Mikel Arteta became an assistant coach at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola before leaving to become Arsenal boss in December 2019.
Should Arsenal miss out on signing Sane this summer, the club could turn their attention to Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams, with Arteta’s side allegedly leading the way for his signature at present.
