Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane is set to join Galatasaray, after interest from Arsenal progressed slowly as the Gunners considered their options.
David Ornstein reports for The Athletic that Leroy Sane is set to leave Bayern Munich to join Galatasaray, with a broad agreement on a three-year contract worth up to €15m (£12.7m) net per year.
Ornstein reports that Arsenal were strong contenders, but they took some time to consider their options. Perhaps the wages on offer were a big factor in their hesitation.
For a player to earn a net income of £12.7m per year in England, they’d have to receive a gross weekly wage of over £460,000-a-week. The tax policies for footballers are more favourable in Turkey, but the winger should still cost Galatasaray over £300,000-a-week.
Sane was keen for an immediate resolution to his situation, so he opted for Galatasaray’s offer, turning down a contract extension with Bayern Munich, interest from Arsenal, and other offers from Al-Hilal and Fenerbahce.
Sky in Germany report that Sane has verbally agreed his Galatasaray contract, and Bild’s Tobi Altschaffl reports that the player won’t even feature in the Club World Cup.
Technically, since Sane is only completing a free transfer to Galatasaray, he’ll still be under contract with Bayern until June 30th.
Bayern face Auckland City, Boca Juniors, and Benfica in the Club World Cup group stage, with all three games taking place over the next fortnight. If they make it, Bayern will then play in the round-of-16 on June 28th or 29th.
So Bayern would have been within their rights to call upon Sane to play for them until his deal was up, but it seems they’re not going to.