Pep Guardiola once hailed Leroy Sane as the best winger on the planet during his time at Manchester City, with the Germany international now weighing up his next move.
Arsenal are said to be interested in Sane but face competition from rivals Tottenham Hotspur. With his contract winding down, the Bayern Munich forward is potentially available as a free agent. The 29-year-old was widely anticipated to pen a new deal at Bayern. However, changing his representation appears to have prompted Sane to consider opportunities elsewhere.
The Telegraph suggests that these developments caused Arsenal to express interest in the ex-City ace, who has past connections with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta from their time in Manchester. The Gunners will be eager to recruit more quality in attack as the club seek to end their title drought. However, Guardiola's glowing endorsement of Sane's capabilities might mean tough competition for Gabriel Martinelli to keep his starting berth.
In response to whether Sane could lead the City attack, Guardiola' gave a telling response: "Playing in the middle he can do it. But I think he's better out wide," he said in February 2019.
"I'm not saying he can't (play in middle) but at the moment we have better players to do that job. But Leroy is best playing in the world out wide. I'd prefer to use him where he is strongest, he's an incredible player."
Arsenal are expected to bring in a new striker this summer, while Raheem Sterling's return to Chelsea could create room for another winger. Baeed on Guardiola's remarks, Sane would be ideal for a wide role. With Bukayo Saka being a staple on Arsenal's right flank, Sane's potential arrival could see him going head-to-head with Martinelli for a place in the team.
Leroy Sane
Leroy Sane has won four league titles during his time at Bayern Munich (Image: Sebastian El-Saqqa - firo sportphoto/Getty Images)
The German forward has won four league titles in five years since joining Bayern in 2020. This season, he notched up 11 goals and six assists in 30 league matches to help secure the Bundesliga crown last month. His trophy-laden tenure at City included two Premier League crowns, an FA Cup title, and a pair of League Cups over four glorious years.
While at City, Sane gained a wealth of experience under Arteta, who was then part of Guardiola's coaching staff and is now steering the ship at Arsenal. Sane has often spoken highly of Arteta's impact on his development, including when the Gunners came up against Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals in April 2024.
"It was great. I was really pleased to work with him because he helped me a lot at Manchester City," Sane said. "We had a lot of individual talk about how I can improve my game. What are my weaknesses and strengths?
"Through him, I made quick, huge improvements because of the ideas he gave to me. I still keep them in my mind. If it's about positioning, how I have to behave in certain situations, so I'm pleased for that."
Leroy Sane and Mikel Arteta
Leroy Sane and Mikel Arteta worked together at Manchester City (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
During the early stages of Arteta's stint in the Arsenal dugout, Sane expressed optimism about his former coach's potential for success. "I can just say positive things about Mikel Arteta," Sane told The Independent in July 2020. "Since we started working together, he helped me a lot on the pitch."
"He tried to improve my football; he told me what I did good and what I did wrong, and he tried to work on it. Next to Pep, they both really helped me and improved me, to bring me to the next level.
"Even now, at Arsenal, for me you can see he's doing a great job. You can see he has a concept, a way that he wants to play, a way that he wants his team to play, and obviously it will take some time until everybody really understands it. I think he will do a great job as a [head] coach too."