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Leroy Sané is a bargain for Manchester City, and indicates a new transfer strategy
The Pep Guardiola regime is different than City’s last era already.
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
In the first transfer window under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City seems more interested in signing high-value young talents than they do in capturing superstars. That’s evidenced by their early window capture of Ilkay Gündogan, their pursuit of Brazilian winger Gabriel Jesus and Tuesday’s signing, Leroy Sané from Schalke.
Sané, just 20, made a name for himself two seasons ago when he came out of virtually nowhere to turn in a dominant Champions League performance against Real Madrid. Last season, he was first choice for Schalke and established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top attackers, scoring eight league goals in his first year as a starter. Between his age, his talent and rapidly rising transfer fees, the £37 million City paid for him feels like a bargain.
Goal of the day
Edin Dzeko’s strike for Roma against Liverpool. (r/soccer)
In the news
Napoli presented Arek Milik to their fans on Monday night. (The Siren’s Song)
If you want to buy a new MLS franchise, the league is going to charge you $200 million. (Bloomberg)
Gylfi Sigurdsson has inked a new deal at Swansea. (Swansea City)
São Paulo manager Edgardo Bauza is the new Argentina boss. (BBC)
Wales rejected Hull’s approach to talk to Chris Coleman. (Guardian)
Half of Real Madrid’s starting lineup is out for the UEFA Super Cup. (AS)
Dax McCarty will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken leg. (MLS)
You should be reading
Alan Smith on what City are getting in Leroy Sané. (Guardian)
Gabriele Marcotti on teams benefiting from getting transfer business done early. (ESPN FC)
Adam Boufkir on Mario Götze, and why he should revive his career this season. (Just Football)
From the rumor mill
Please don’t take anything in this section too seriously, for your own sanity.
Leicester basically has unlimited transfer money. (Sun)
Romelu Lukaku has told Everton he wants to leave, and Chelsea appears to be his most likely destination. (Mail)
Ashley Williams is replacing John Stones at Everton. (Guardian)
West Ham might sign Mario Gómez, who wants out of Turkey. (Mirror)
Inter Milan thinks they have a deal done for Gabigol. (Football Italia)
Max Kruse looks set to move from Wolfsburg to Werder Bremen. (Bild)
The Philadelphia Union are in talks to sign USMNT star Alejandro Bedoya. (MLS)
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