Transfer Centre

Leroy Sane given Philippe Coutinho's shirt number at Bayern Munich

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 04 July 2020

Leroy Sane is handed the number 10 shirt at Bayern Munich - the number currently worn by on-loan Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho.

Leroy Sane has been handed the number 10 shirt upon his arrival at Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich - the jersey currently occupied by Philippe Coutinho at the Allianz Arena.

Having spent four years with Manchester City, where the 24-year-old chalked up 39 goals and won two Premier League titles, Sane moved back to his native Germany as he completed a £54.8m transfer to Bayern earlier this week.

On-loan Barcelona attacker Coutinho will remain at Bayern until the end of the season, but it appears unlikely that the Brazilian winger will be making his move to the Bavarian giants permanent ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

A statement on Bayern's website read: "Leroy Sane will wear the number 10 shirt for FC Bayern next season. Out of respect for Philippe Coutinho, who is the current number 10 and could play in the upcoming DFB-Pokal final in Berlin and any games in the Champions League in August, Sane decided not to use the number in his photos on Thursday."

With Coutinho's future at Barcelona also shrouded in uncertainty, the former Liverpool man has been strongly linked with a move back to the Premier League in recent weeks.

The 28-year-old amassed eight goals and six assists in the 2019-20 Bundesliga season, and Coutinho was brought on for the final three minutes of Bayern's DFB-Pokal final triumph over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.