Schalke set Monday deadline for Leroy Sane to Manchester City deal
Schalke have said that if Leroy Sane's transfer to Manchester City is not completed by Monday then he will not be making the move to the Etihad. The club's sporting director Christian Heidel has made it clear that he has no interest in a drawn out transfer saga.
"Either we come to terms or we don't," Heidel said ahead of Schalke's trip to Austria on Monday for preseason friendlies. "But if Leroy boards the plane to Austria with us he'll stay player of this club."
Multiple reports have indicated that the deal for Sane to join City is nearly done and that he will be on his way to England for a medical on Monday. If he's not on that plane, he'll be on Schalke's plane to Austria and will play for the club again next season.
Whether you believe that to be true is another matter. This could be a negotiating ploy to get City to the price Schalke have set for their young star and if the Citizens call Schalke's bluff, the German club might still negotiate. But Heidel could very well be set on his deadline.
It's not unreasonable for Schalke to demand the deal be completed now. The season is less than two weeks away now and they either want to have the money from Sane to buy a replacement or two, or they want Sane himself.
The deadline may not end up mattering much, with Manchester City reportedly close to a deal. All they have to do is wrap up the final details, get the medical done and sign on the dotted line, then Sane is theirs and Pep Guardiola will have gotten his man. Their season is less than two weeks away too and they surely want to have Sane available when they open their Premier League campaign so it really behooves everyone to get this transfer finalized. Of course, this is transfer season, though, so logic isn't always part of the equation.
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