Leroy Sane Wanted at Manchester City Despite Bayern Rumours, Says Ilkay Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan has said Manchester City want to keep winger Leroy Sane despite recent rumours that Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich wish to bring the player back to Germany this summer. 

Sane enjoyed another successful season at the Etihad Stadium and helped City retain the Premier League as part of a domestic treble. The former Schalke star had to settle for a spot on the bench for periods, but his compatriot has insisted that the Citizens want to keep Sane.

Speaking to Sport Bild (h/t Goal's Tom Maston), Gundogan said: "If players in our team at one or another time do not play, it has now become a normal fact that there are automatic rumours. As our coach has already said, the club wants to keep Leroy."

Die Roten will wave goodbye to Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery this summer, meaning there will be room for new wing recruits at the Allianz Arena.

Sane made 30 starts from a total of 47 appearances this season and jostled with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez for a place out wide.

However, the 23-year-old was left out in some big matches and played just seven minutes across City's two-legged defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Statman Dave recently appeared on BBC 5 Live Sport and argued Sane's talents could have been put to good use in those fixtures:

Guardiola recently told reporters that City have been trying for "six or seven months" to extend Sane's contract, which expires in June 2021, suggesting it is the player who's uncertain about his future.

Sane has in the past addressed rumours of a rift between he and coach Pep Guardiola, although there's little wrong with the player's output since he joined the club's ranks, per Squawka:

The player averaged a little more than one direct involvement in a goal per start this season and is a talent most teams would be happy to get their hands on.

As for Gundogan, the former Borussia Dortmund playmaker has one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad and said in March that his future remained undecided, via HaytersTV:

The German duo face an uncertain summer at the Etihad, although it seems Sane in particular remains a valued piece of Guardiola's puzzle.