“That’s why I’m here at Galatasaray” - Leroy Sane reveals why he snubbed Arsenal to join Turkish giants

Leroy Sane has outlined why he turned down multiple approaches, reportedly including Arsenal, to move to Galatasaray. The German forward's contract with Bayern Munich expires at the end of this month, and he is all set to join the Turkish giants as a free agent.

The Gunners were among the clubs reportedly interested in Sane, and it was previously believed that the player was also open to a move to the Emirates. The north London side were looking for attacking reinforcements and had zeroed in on the 29-year-old for the job.

Sane registered 13 goals and six assists from 45 games for the Bavarians in the recently concluded season, and already has experience of playing in the Premier League with Manchester City. However, The Athletic have since reported that Arsenal were not decisive enough in their pursuit of the German.

Speaking after touching down in Istanbul, as cited by Metro, Sane revealed he was convinced by Galatasaray's approach.

"The atmosphere here was always amazing. It was very, very loud. That’s why I’m happy to be back. I can’t wait to play my first game in front of the fans. There were many offers. But Galatasaray as a whole impressed me greatly," said Sane.

He continued:

"I was very impressed by the atmosphere, by the size of the club, by how much they wanted me, by how much interest they showed in me. That’s why I’m here at Galatasaray."

Galatasaray have reportedly handed Sane a contract worth €11m per year.

Have Arsenal turned their attention to Viktor Gyokeres this summer?

Arsenal are ready to turn to Viktor Gyokeres to solve their striker conundrum this summer, according to Caught Offside. The Gunners are looking to rope in a new No. 9 before the start of the new campaign, and have their eyes on Benjamin Sesko for the job.

The Slovenian is a long-term target for the north London side, who also wanted him last year. Arsenal believe that the 22-year-old is the right man to lead the line at the Emirates.

However, the Bundesliga side want the Gunners to trigger Sesko's €80m release clause to let him go. The north London side have already agreed personal terms with the player, but don't want to give in to RB Leipzig's demands. Meanwhile, Arsenal have held advanced talks with Viktor Gyokeres as well, and unless the Sesko situation is resolved by June 15, they will turn to the Sporting man.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava