According to reports from The Sun, Liverpool and Manchester United are going head-to-head in the race to sign Schalke sensation Leroy Sane.
The 19-year-old winger may not be a household name just yet but he’s quickly emerging as one of the most exciting prospects in German football following an emphatic start to the 2015/16 campaign. Indeed, the teenager has claimed four goals and three assists in twelve Bundesliga outings this season, despite only seven of them being starts, and ranks fourth throughout the division for successful dribbles per match with an average of 2.5.
By no means exclusive to the realms of domestic football, the 6-foot attacker has amassed three goals in three outings for Germany’s U21 squad since the summer, paving the way for his first cap at senior level against France earlier this month.
Liverpool are long-term admirers of the Mannschaft starlet and reportedly launched a €15million bid during the summer, which was swiftly rejected by the Miners. Brendan Rodgers’ interest in Sane appears to be matched if not bettered by Jurgen Klopp, who will have taken note of the youngster’s promising displays during his final season in charge of Borussia Dortmund, with reports from earlier this week claiming Liverpool have made an ‘official’ of £10million.
But the Reds are by no means the only interested party. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were both linked in October whilst The Sun document heavy interest from Manchester United, amid Louis van Gaal’s seemingly eternal search for added venom on the flanks. Having discussed the need for “speedy wingers” following a 2-0 win over West Brom earlier this month, the Red Devils have been linked with a number of wide men potentially available in January, including Bournemouth’s Matt Ritchie, Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez and Ajax prodigy Anwar El Ghazi.
The Sun actually first reported on United’s interest some time ago, but their latest article bills it as a straight-up race between the two northwest rivals – whilst also revealing Red Devils scout Peter Braun is currently ‘camped out’ at the Veltins Arena to give an assessment of Sane. The British red top believe the youngster will cost around £12million to sign in January.