Arsenal have reportedly pulled out of the transfer race to sign Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane, leaving Chelsea as one of the prominent Premier League rivals still in contention. Reports from Germany indicate a shift in Arsenal’s transfer strategy, prioritizing younger profiles for their attacking reinforcements.
Sane, the former Manchester City winger, had appeared close to signing a new contract with Bayern this month. However, his decision to switch representation to Pini Zahavi’s agency has reportedly led to increased salary demands. Bayern, in turn, have stood firm, resulting in a stalemate in negotiations with the Germany international.
Previously, Arsenal, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United had all reportedly registered their interest in acquiring Sane ahead of the summer transfer window. But according to Sky Germany, Arsenal have now withdrawn from the running.
The report suggests that Arsenal are targeting players with a younger profile than Sane, who turned 29 in January. Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, and Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens are all reportedly higher on Mikel Arteta’s transfer shortlist.
In a separate report, Sky Germany claims that Arsenal are “seriously involved” in an attempt to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid. The Spanish club is reportedly awaiting the arrival of new manager Xabi Alonso to finalize Rodrygo’s future, but the 24-year-old has been tipped as one of the key players under Carlo Ancelotti who could be moved on at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich face the prospect of losing Sane on a free transfer when his contract expires next month. Speaking last week, Bayern’s board member for sport, Max Eberl, confirmed that Sane, who was a £54.8 million signing from Manchester City in 2020, had rejected the club’s offer of a new deal.
“He said today that he doesn’t want to accept our offer in this form,” Eberl stated. “There’s no bad blood. The offer is there. We’ve expressed our wish [to extend his contract]. You can feel, at least in my opinion, that Leroy wants to stay. Now we’ll see what happens in the next few days.”