Pep Guardiola Told Leroy Sane Manchester City Won't Stop Bayern Munich Transfer

Leroy Sane is free to join Bayern Munich if he's not happy at Manchester City, according to manager Pep Guardiola.

The Premier League champions have been frustrated in their attempts to secure Sane's future with a new contract.

Guardiola explained why doubts about Sane's future won't become a problem, per MailOnline's Jack Gaughan:

"The club made him an offer last year. We want people happy to be here. We are going to help him to be the best we know how, (to realise) his potential. The desire to have him to be with us is always there. I spoke to the club 10 times (to say) that I want people here to be happy, if they don't want, they go."

Sane has been heavily linked with joining Die Roten this summer. Bayern have been upfront about the interest, with coach Niko Kovac recently confirming as much:

Club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has also been honest about the desire to sign a "wide player," per Goal's Ben Spratt. The need for help on the flanks is obvious after Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery left the Allianz Arena, while James Rodriguez returned to Real Madrid after a successful two-year loan spell.

Sane makes sense as a target, not only because he is arguably the rising talent in the Germany national team. The 23-year-old also saw his playing time with the Citizens cut last season.

He made just 21 starts in the Premier League, with a further 10 appearances coming off the substitutes bench.

Sane still contributed moments of magic in the final third for both club and country, offering further proof of his growing status as a match-winner of world-class quality:

As good as he is, Sane became marginalised somewhat during City's historic domestic treble-winning campaign. Raheem Sterling most often held sway on the left, while Riyad Mahrez, signed from Leicester City for £60 million last summer, also began making himself a factor on both wings.

Mahrez started and scored during the 4-1 win away to Brighton & Hove Albion on the final day of the league season. It was the decisive result in helping City retain the title and beat Liverpool to the prize.

Yet Bernardo Silva's development played as big a role in Sane's limited minutes as any other. The Portugal international is a natural central schemer but became most effective cutting in from the right.

Guardiola said his players understand "it's difficult" but City's players know rotation is a reality among a loaded squad. It's easy for Guardiola to speak from a position of strength given the options he has.

Sane may view things differently, knowing he would go from squad player in Manchester to an integral member of the starting XI in Munich. Adding him alongside Serge Gnabry would guarantee a successful post-Robben and Ribery era for Die Roten.