Sensational Arsenal transfer back ON as warning shots fired over contract delay

Rob McCarthy 09 May 2025 4:01 PM

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Arsenal’s hopes of securing a top Bundesliga talent this summer appear to be back on after a major sea change in the player’s efforts to land a new deal at Bayern Munich.

Germany international Leroy Sane is the player in question, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta a big fan of the attacker from their time working together at Manchester City, where they had a strong working relationship.

Indeed, Arsenal were closely monitoring Sane‘s contract situation in Bavaria, with his current deal running out at the end of next month.

It had been expected that the 29-year-old would put pen-to-paper on a new Bayern contract, ending interest from north London as a result, but a fresh twist means the move could now be back on.

The Bundesliga giants have warned Sane they won’t bow to his financial demands and are prepared to let him leave on a free transfer if a new contract cannot be agreed.

A number of injury problems has meant Sane has made only 104 Bundesliga appearances for the club since joining them in a £45million switch from City back in 2020.

However, he has played a major role in Bayern’s triumphant Bundesliga campaign and run to the last eight of the Champions League, scoring 13 goals and providing five assists in 43 games in all competitions.

And while Bayern are still keen to retain the player, they have now gone public to reveal exactly where the club and Same both stand.

“‘Our wish is still to extend with Leroy,” the club’s sporting director, Max Eberl, said on Friday.

“But we’ve also agreed on a framework. And if that framework were to be exceeded, it would become difficult. It’s now up to Leroy.”

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Sane agent change confuses Bayern and sparks exit talk

Sane recently switched agents, heightening the suspicion that he is angling for a move amid the constant Arsenal chatter.

However, Bayern president Herbert Hainer and CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen insist that may not be the case, despite being unsure over the motives for the agent change.

“I don’t know his motives [for switching agents], I have to say,” said Hainer earlier this week.

“We look after the player and the person Leroy Sané, not his agent. I can’t judge what his reasons were. He has said often enough that he would like to stay here in Munich.

“I think you can tell that he really likes the team and appreciates the coach. When you’ve seen him play in the last few months, it’s not just his goals but also his joy of playing that he’s rediscovered.

“I’m an optimist and confident by nature. We’ve almost always reached an agreement with Pini Zahavi, be it with regard to Robert Lewandowski or David Alaba. Of course he’s a tough negotiator, but so are other agents.”

Dreesen added: “First of all, I believe that Leroy is having a really good season and has won over many critics of his game, That hasn’t always been the case in the past five years.’

Asked what his gut feeling was with regard to a contract extension, the CEO replied: “It’s like the weather, things can change. After the season Sané has had, Bayern fans will certainly be hoping for sunshine.”