Aside from the recent start in the 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Leroy Sané has primarily been used as a substitute so far this season by Vincent Kompany for Bayern Munich. The Belgian manager has a preference of using a front four of Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise and one of either Serge Gnabry or Kingsley Coman.
To be fair to Sané, he was recovering from an operation after his involvement with Germany at the Euros that prevented him from being 100% fit come the start of the season for Bayern. For most of the end of last season under Thomas Tuchel in the push to try to reach the Champions League final, Sané’s minutes outside of that competition were heavily managed, as well as his training sessions. Tuchel wanted to ensure he would be as fresh as possible for the knockout stage matches against Arsenal and Real Madrid.
Sané’s current contract is set to expire this coming summer and it has remained up in the air whether or not he will be offered an extension beyond June 2025. Most of the attention in that department has been placed on Jamal Musiala, who is set to get a lucrative extension that keeps him at the club through 2029 and sees him earn up to 25-million euros per year.
Per new information from Abendzeitung’s Maximilian Koch (via @iMiaSanMia), it is now looking less likely that Bayern will agree to an extension for Sané. Earlier this season, there had been a level of optimism and reassurance that the player was fully focused on staying with Bayern long-term, but it might not all be up to just him. Per Koch, there is a feeling internally at the club that the winger has not been consistent enough for sustained periods ever since he joined the Rekordmeister from Manchester City back in 2020. He has been good in certain spurts from season to season, like towards the beginning phases of last season, but he has failed to make that a pattern for long runs, which is what the expectation of him was when he was purchased.
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
While it might not be the best financial outcome for Bayern, it is possible that Sané could leave the club on a free transfer this summer unless things change and the club adopts a view that he is well worth keeping long term. He has certainly shown in sporadic intervals what he is capable of, but he has not really had too many chances under Kompany so far this season — injuries or unforeseen circumstances could change that trajectory, though.
What should we be thankful for with Bayern so far this season? Is Bayern going to let Leroy Sané walk away this summer? Let’s discuss all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
