1 month ago
16 Newcastle United are reportedly understood to have been monitoring Bayern Munich attacker Leroy Sane for some time now.
The Magpies’ ability to potentially land the German international’s signature, however, will depend greatly on their Premier League performance.
To put it more bluntly: Eddie Howe’s side must qualify for Champions League football if they wish to throw their hat into the ring, according to Christian Falk.
“Whether Newcastle United can be considered serious suitors for Leroy Sané will depend on how they perform in the Premier League. I think Sané will only consider clubs playing Champions League football,” the Bundesliga insider told CaughtOffside.
“Newcastle will also have to pay a lot of money if they want to sign him, and I’m not sure if they can afford him!
“At the moment, Leroy Sané has to keep an eye on the market, as he’s still in talks with Bayern Munich and they remain his first option. He would love to stay, but he sees it’s not getting easier with Michael Olise in the squad.”
The former Manchester City attacker is being slowly reintroduced to first-team action following groin surgery in the summer after the German national team’s exit from the Euros.
Newcastle United face competition to sign Leroy Sane
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)Inevitably, a player of the 28-year-old’s quality will attract serious interest in the windows to come.
The fact that Sane’s contract is currently set to expire in the summer of 2025 certainly doesn’t help matters.
“He has to see how many clubs are really interested in the summer,” Falk went on to add.
“There were rumours about Real Madrid in the past, but I think that avenue is closed off at the moment following Kylian Mbappe’s move. Barcelona are always looking out for free agents, but I’m not sure if they can pay the salary. Still, it’s always an option, and I think he’d rather join Barcelona than Newcastle.“
If the Tyneside-based outfit can manage to secure top-level European football for the 2025/26 campaign and beat out rival interest – the winger’s potential signing would surely be much better received than a transfer for Manchester United’s Antony whom Newcastle have been linked with.
It’s a big ask of Howe’s side and only time will tell if they’re able to attempt a move for the possible free agent come the summer.
Leroy Sane would be an instant upgrade for Newcastle
There can be no denying the obvious benefits Leroy Sane’s signing would bring.
The Premier League outfit has been forced to rely on Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy on the right flank this term. However, it speaks clearly to either player’s value to the coaching staff that Anthony Gordon has been shunted over to the right to fill in on multiple occasions this term.
42 goal contributions have been amassed between the pair in the last three seasons – a figure that still falls short of the Bundesliga wide man’s 48 in the same time. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, then, that Sane ranks in the 96th percentile for his combined non-penalty xG and xAG (FBref) across Europe’s top five leagues.
Signing the ‘incredible’ (as described by Julian Nagelsmann via Bulinews) German would be an absolute no-brainer for Paul Mitchell’s recruitment team.
