Manchester City sign Leroy Sane from Schalke for £37m
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - MAY 07: Leroy Sane of Schalke in action during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Augsburg held at Veltins-Arena on May 7, 2016 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Manchester City have completed the signing of Germany international Leroy Sane from Schalke for £37m.
Leroy Sane has signed a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium, further bolstering Pep Guardiola’s attacking options ahead of the new season following the acquisition of Nolito for £13.8m from Celta Vigo earlier this summer.
The 20-year-old was left out of Schalke’s squad travelling to Austria for their pre-season training camp having informed Schalke last week he wanted to leave to push through a move to City.
Sane, who will wear the No 9 shirt, told the club’s website: “I feel really good, I’m happy to be here and happy that it has all worked out. Now I can settle here in Manchester and play for City.
“One of the reasons I decided to join City was Pep Guardiola; he convinced me to come here and that I can continue to progress. I know I will learn a lot under him and now I can take the next step in my career.
“I followed Pep at Barcelona and at Bayern where he achieved a lot and worked really well with young players.
“I think he can make me a more complete player. I think I will need a bit of time to start with because it’s another league and there’s a different style of play but I think I can adapt very quickly.”
Guardiola added: “He is a special talent, and an exciting player that I think our supporters will enjoy watching. He has great technical ability, is comfortable on the ball and there is much to admire about the way he plays football.
“He is fast, enjoys creating chances for others, works hard for the team and scores goals, too. He also has a very positive attitude and will fit in well with our squad.
“At 20, he is still developing as a player but he is already a member of the German national side and I think he will be a fantastic asset to our club. We are very happy he decided to join us.”
“We green-lit the transfer, because the economical conditions were met for our approval,” Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel told the club’s official website. “But we all feel a bit sentimental about this [transfer].
“We are losing a superb footballer with a great character in Leroy, who Schalke have a lot to thank for. The team and club wish him all the best on his future endeavours.
“The people at Manchester City showed a professional demeanour at all times. They were tough but fair negotiations.”
Sane could make his City debut in the preseason friendly against Arsenal in Gothenburg on Sunday.
