With Sane’s imminent exit, will Manchester City make a move for Leon Bailey?
Bayern Munich have moved closer to signing Manchester City winger Leroy Sane even agreeing contract terms according to a report by Sport Bild.
Sane has been a long-term candidate for Bayern Munich and would have moved last season if he had not sustained a long term injury in the Community Shield game against Liverpool. With a year left on his contract, Manchester City would like to cash-in before next season starts.
Despite not being able to seal a starting spot, the German winger has racked up 28 goals and 25 assists for a strong Manchester City side and Guardiola will need a replacement of the similar quality and ability.
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Pep has set his sights on Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, who like Sane can play on both flanks with exhilarating pace and dribbling.
Who is Leon Bailey?
Leon Bailey is a Jamaican professional footballer who joined K.R.C. Genk in 2015 from Trencin. After impressing the Bundesliga scouts,Bailey joined Bayer Leverkusen in January 2017 for a fee of €20 million, after interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
His first Bundesliga goal for the club came on the 29 September against F.C. Schalke 04. He ended the season scoring 12 goals in 34 games in all competitions, guiding Leverkusen to 5th spot in the league for a Europa League spot. He has completed 107 appearances for the club playing alongside young upcoming stars like Havertz and Moussa Diaby.
This season Bailey’s form has dipped with an injury-hit campaign but will look to come back with a statement and secure a move to England.
What does he bring to Pep’s squad?
According to Total Football analysis, his muscular build helps him win 45.7% of 208 duels contested and 23 aerial duels. He has a passing success rate of 72.7% from open play. He has scored seven goals this season for Leverkusen and is an obvious choice for direct free-kicks and long-shots with that venomous left foot.
He loves to carry the ball and has got 72.98 actions per game last season in all competitive matches for Leverkusen. He averages 6.61 dribbles per game and completes 55.1% of them. Bailey crosses on average 5.22 times per game into the box. His positioning on the wings increases the difficulty for the opponents to track him and allows him to cut inside easily.
On the defensive side, he mainly uses his recover speed to win defensive battles. He gets, on average, 4.01 recoveries per game with the help of his physical prowess.
Is Bailey the ideal replacement for Sane?