Manchester City sign Leroy Sané from Schalke for £37m

• Germany forward says Pep Guardiola convinced him to come
• Sané has signed five-year contract at City

Manchester City have signed the Germany forward Leroy Sané from Schalke for £37m on a five-year contract.

“One of the reasons I decided to join City was Pep Guardiola,” Sané told City’s website. “He convinced me to come here and that I can continue to progress. I know I will learn a lot under him and now I can take the next step in my career.

“I followed Pep at Barcelona and at Bayern where he achieved a lot and worked really well with young players. I think he can make me a more complete player. I think I will need a bit of time to start with because it’s another league and there’s a different style of play but I think I can adapt very quickly.”
The Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, had confirmed last month that the club were in talks with the forward but said the transfer was being held up over the player’s valuation.

“He is a special talent, and an exciting player that I think our supporters will enjoy watching.,” Guardiola said after the signing was confirmed.

“He has great technical ability, is comfortable on the ball and there is much to admire about the way he plays football. He is fast, enjoys creating chances for others, works hard for the team and scores goals, too. He also has a very positive attitude and will fit in well with our squad.

“At 20, he is still developing as a player but he is already a member of the German national side and I think he will be a fantastic asset to our Club. We are very happy he decided to join us.”

Sané, who has been on City’s radar since 2013, made his debut for Germany against France last year and was in the squad for Euro 2016 though he played only 11 minutes, against France in the semi-final, which his side lost 2-0.

He could make his debut for against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly in Gothenburg on Sunday.
City have so far signed Ilkay Gündogan from Borussia Dortmund, Nolito from Celta Vigo and Oleksandr Zinchenko from the Ukrainian club FC Ufa this summer.

City retain an interest in John Stones but are reluctant to meet Everton’s £50m valuation for the central defender, setting their target figure at around £40m plus potential add-ons.


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