Three reasons why Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Leroy Sane just got way more difficult

As European football reels from a complete lack of games due to the coronavirus, news sources continue to churn out precious transfer news to keep us entertained. According to Sport Bild, Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic met with Leroy Sane’s representatives in Munich last week in order to drive talks behind the scenes.

A number of factors are making the transfer more difficult than originally anticipated.

Coronavirus straining revenue streams

Everyone knows that Sané won’t come cheap. The massive cost of the transfer was already a tough pill for Bayern to swallow. Manchester City are a rich team, and they don’t need a big transfer fee to stay afloat (FFP violations aside). Sané, therefore, may go for as much as €80m or more this summer.

With the coronavirus epidemic effectively nuking every club’s revenue streams this season, Bayern could be looking at a loss as high as the double-digit million range. Although the club can definitely absorb that hit for a single season, it makes a big transfer like Sané a lot more difficult, given that the Bavarians are also pursuing other targets at the same time.

Other big clubs join the fray

Up until now, Bayern were the only team seriously vying for Sane’s signature. However, there are now reports that other big clubs have made offers to the player. According to Sport Bild, Real Madrid and Barcelona are both interested, which is what prompted Brazzo to restart talks with Sané’s agents before negotiations can officially resume in April. Like Bayern, both those teams will be hit hard by La Liga shutting down due to the outbreak, but they still have the financial means to rival the Germans for Sané’s signature.

Hansi Flick’s veto

If that wasn’t enough, there is internal opposition to the transfer. Brazzo sees Sané as his magnum opus and wants to bring him in on a huge five-year contract. Hansi Flick, meanwhile, demands a veto right on incoming transfers and prefers to get RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner. Getting both Werner and Sané this summer is not feasible, so something’s got to give. In addition, Brazzo has already spoken publicly against signing Werner, and this could become another point of contention between the coach and the sporting director.

With all these things in mind, the dream of seeing Leroy Sané in a Bayern jersey seems farther than ever. Hopefully, all these issues can be resolved soon, and Bayern Munich finally get the star signing we’ve been waiting for.