Arsenal, Man Utd eye Bayern winger as salary cut looms

Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly getting ready to fight it out for one of Bayern Munich's biggest stars, as clubs begin to circle for the winger whose contract runs out next summer.

The Gunners seem to want more options out wide to provide competition with Bukayo Saka, as Mikel Arteta sweats over the fitness of the England stalwart.

United, meanwhile, are keen to shuffle the deck upon the rival of new boss Ruben Amorim after the Portuguese flew into Manchester this week to take over from Erik ten Hag.

Bosses look ready to give the former Sporting Lisbon manager the chance to bring in some fresh faces, with interest also shown in Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku.

Now it has emerged that the old foes are about to do battle over an ex-Premier League star, who is likely to be allowed to leave Bayern as the German giants aim to slash costs, Bild reports.

Leroy Sane left Man City in 2020 after a successful four-year spell at Pep Guardiola's side which saw him lift two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups.

He now appears to be nearing a return to England as United and Arsenal both look to take advantage of his contract situation.

The 28-year-old has been at Bayern for four years but is competing with the likes of summer signing Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman for a place in Vincent Kompany's side.

His contract is up in summer 2025 and the German has not had talks with chiefs yet about an extension, but is likely to be forced into a 25 per cent pay cut from £16.6million to £12.4m if he wants to stay.

Sane is not the only one facing a salary decrease and, although Olise is thought to be safe from cost-cutting measures, other members of the squad face worse deals.

Coman had a move to Saudi Arabia fall through at the last minute over the summer and is thought to be unwilling to compromise on his hefty £14m salary.

Ex-Arsenal man Gnabry, meanwhile, has just 18 months left on his current deal but has forced his way back into the side.

Pacey winger Sane made his way to City for £37m after a successful surge through the Schalke youth teams.

He scored 39 goals, and assisted 43 more, in 135 appearances under Guardiola but missed the majority of his final season and refused to sign a contract extension.

In Bavaria, Sane has bagged 51 goals and assisted 50 in 186 matches, cruising to three consecutive Bundesligas before missing out last season under Thomas Tuchel.

While his stock has fallen over the past year due to inconsistent form, securing a 28-year-old Sane on a free would be a major coup for either side.

He struck up an intuitive understanding with Harry Kane when the Englishman arrived at Bayern in summer 2023 and has stepped up on big occasions for the side, scoring a fantastic goal in last season's Champons League semi-final against Real Madrid.

Staying fit has been a headache for the German, though. Transfermarkt lists seven separate injuries for him last season and he has already had two lay-offs since the summer, though he has been fit since early September.