Manchester United are reportedly ready to beat Newcastle United to the signing of Leroy Sane, who remains at an impasse over negotiations for a new contract with Bayern Munich.
The 29-year-old former Manchester City winger has enjoyed a trophy-laden sell with the Bavarians since moving back to Germany from Manchester in 2020, winning three Bundesliga titles, two German Super Cups, one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.
During his time with Bayern, Sane has made 177 appearances and scored 49 goals and registered 45 assists, a return of 0.53 goal contributions per game.
The forward is yet to start a game for Bayern Munich under boss Vincent Kompany, who admitted that the attacker is not playing his best football, and with less than a year left on Sane's current contract, speculation about his future has arisen.
Speaking to CaughtOffside, journalist Christian Falk claims that while Newcastle United have long been monitoring the German, the attacker has little interest in moving to Tyneside and that Manchester United could leapfrog their Premier League rivals and sign him if they sense an opportunity.
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Manchester United's attacking options assessed
While Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag has been criticised for his side's poor defensive outings against the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, perhaps more concerning for fans should be that the team have only scored five times in the Premier League, the joint second fewest in the division.
In fact, United have only created the 11th most big chances in the top flight and produced the 10th most shots, fewer than the likes of 18th-placed Crystal Palace.
Sane has predominantly played on the right side of attack for Bayern, although he largely operated on the left of a front three for Manchester City.
If the winger was to join Ten Hag's team, he would likely be competing for minutes on the right against players such as Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho, who have managed to produce two goals and two assists between them in a combined 13 appearances in the Premier League.
Sane scored eight goals in 27 appearances in the Bundesliga last term, the joint highest figure he has tallied since joining Bayern.
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Competition from Newcastle United
Eddie Howe's Newcastle side have not fared much better than United in front of goal given they have scored just eight times in the league, the joint sixth-worst tally in the top flight.
In recent weeks, Harvey Barnes has taken up a role on the left of attack, with either Anthony Gordon or Jacob Murphy operating out wide on the right of a front three.
However, while Sane might be more of a natural fit than Gordon on the right of Howe's attack, the winger would reportedly prefer to either stay in Germany or move to a more established European side like Manchester United.
It should be noted that under the guidance of part owners INEOS this past summer, United did not sign anybody above the age of 26, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe seemingly keen on signing players with a view to longer-term development.
Considering Sane is free to talk to teams outside Germany from January 1, it would not be surprising if a host of clubs made contract offers for the forward alongside the likes of Newcastle and Man United.
Lewis Nolan
