MX23RW : Wednesday, December 25 02:43:06| >> :60:1881:1881:

Pep Guardiola: 'I would have liked Leroy Sane to stay'

The German winger is closing in on a move to Bayern Munich.

Pep Guardiola has wished Leroy Sane well with the winger set to leave Manchester City for Bayern Munich.

City are close to completing a deal with the German champions that could be worth a potential £54.8million.

Guardiola said: “It looks like he is going to go to Munich. I wish him all the best. I give him a big thanks for our years together.

Pep Guardiola is preparing to lose Leroy Sane
Pep Guardiola is preparing to lose Leroy Sane (Nick Potts/PA)

“I would have liked him to stay here but he has decided to move on.”

After losing out on the Premier League title to Liverpool this season, City have the chance to prove a point as they host the Reds at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday.

Guardiola says, however, that his team always want to prove a point.

Speaking at a virtual press conference to preview the game, Guardiola said: “In sport, you have to prove every time.

“We are incredibly satisfied with what we have done and are doing but for athletes it is never enough. The past is the past, we have entered it in our memories but the show must go on.”

Guardiola has a healthy respect for his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp, with the pair’s rivalry being an amicable one.

Guardiola said: “I don’t know him that well but I admire him and the way that his teams play football. It is a benefit for the world, a positive to try to score a goal, and this kind of manager helps a lot.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have an amicable rivalry
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have an amicable rivalry (Peter Byrne/PA)

“He wants to win, I want to win, but when it is finished the game is over. He’s my colleague and of course I want to have a good relationship with managers.”

City are still to learn where the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid will be played. The match was due to be played in Manchester but there have been suggestions it could be moved to Portugal when the competition resumes in August.

Guardiola said: “We are going to play wherever UEFA decide to play. Hopefully Manchester, but we don’t know.”

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


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