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This isn't good: as feared, Leroy Sané’s decision to change agents mid-season threatens to derail his transfer from Manchester City to Bayern Munich. As of right now, we have little information to work with, but Florian Plettenberg of Sport1 reports that talks between the two parties have come to an impasse:
UPDATE Sané: A transfer to #FCBayern is still unsecure. Talks between FCB and Sanés management came to a halt. @SPORT1
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) February 4, 2020
In case you weren't aware, Sané switched agents in January, ditching David Beckham's agency in favor of LIAN Sports. While it was initially thought (or rather, hoped) that the change was made to facilitate a transfer to Germany, it appears that the player's new representatives have thrown a wrench into the negotiations.
UPDATE #Sané: Vereinsintern wird weiterhin bestätigt, dass der Wechsel nicht sicher ist, Gespräche zuletzt sogar ins Stocken geraten sind. Ob ihn der #FCBayern verpflichtet, hängt nun auch von den Vorstellungen seines neuen Managements ab (mehr Gehalt etc.) @SPORT1
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) February 4, 2020
UPDATE: #Sané: Inside the club it is still confirmed that the transfer is not certain. Negotiations recently have even come to a halt. Whether #FCBayern signs him now also depends on the ideas of his new management (more salary etc.)
Plettenberg was the first person to report on Sané’s change of agent, so he seems to be on the inside track on these matters. The picture he paints isn’t exactly pretty — it seems that Sané’s agents want even more money for their client, despite Bayern’s agreeing to exorbitant salary demands in the summer.
One ray of hope is the fact that Manchester City have already put a deal on the table with significantly lower wages than what Bayern is currently offering Sané, so it’s unlikely that he will sign a contract extension. But given how this transfer saga has played out thus far, who knows? This is what City expert Same Lee said a few days ago:
If the new agents are willing to negotiate with everybody, I’d guess they’d talk to City. BUT! Bayern’s contract was much bigger than City’s, and City wouldn’t go higher. Now, the agents effectively want Bayern to negotiate again, so if they want even more, would City go so high? https://t.co/0YlXquIUhs
— Sam Lee (@SamLee) January 30, 2020
Meanwhile, Plettenberg has an additional update for us regarding the status of Kingsley Coman at Bayern, who also just changed his agent:
UPDATE #Coman: Er soll keinesfalls abgegeben werden, ist weiterhin fest für die Zukunft eingeplant. @SPORT1 #FCBayern
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) February 4, 2020
UPDATE #Coman: He should be no means be let go, remains securely part of (Bayern’s) plans for the future.
That’s good to hear, but it’s also worrying in the wake of the news that Coman has switched agents to a group that represents several Premier League stars, including City’s own Raheem Sterling. That could come into play at some point as well.