Leroy Sané joins Galatasaray as highest-paid player in Turkish league

In the end, Bayern Munich was caught off guard. Leroy Sané (29) will don the Galatasaray uniform.

Galatasaray announced on the 12th (Korean time) through the club's website, "Sané's transfer negotiations have begun. We have made an official announcement regarding the start of negotiations with the player related to the transfer of footballer Sané via the disclosure platform."

They also revealed images of Sané upon his arrival in Turkey. Galatasaray shared a photo of Sané wearing the club's scarf and noted, "Sané, who has started transfer negotiations, has arrived in Istanbul! He expressed his first official stance through the club's channel."

Sané's surprise transfer attracted explosive interest. According to Germany's Bild, a real-time tracker broadcast of the plane carrying Sané to Turkey was conducted through Galatasaray's official YouTube, with over 1 million fans watching. A large banner reading "Welcome ('Herzlich Willkommen')" appeared at the airport, and the number of viewers exceeded 2 million at one point.

Welcomed warmly, Sané said, "More than anything, I am really happy. It's hard to express in words. Just hearing the voices of the fans feels completely different from before. Simply put, I am really happy to be here," smiling broadly.

He also greeted Galatasaray fans, saying, "I have played here before. It was a really wonderful atmosphere and a very nice environment. To be honest, there were a lot of Galatasaray fans, and they were very vocal about their concerns. Now I am truly happy that the fans are supporting me. I am really looking forward to playing my first game in front of Galatasaray fans."

He added, "First of all, I sincerely thank the fans. It means so much to me that you are here at this time. That's why I sincerely thank the fans. I am really happy to meet the fans and to be together. Thank you very much," expressing his gratitude to the fans who came out to welcome him.

Soon, Sané will be using Rams Park (Galatasaray's home ground) as his home stadium. He stated, "The atmosphere in the stadium had a big impact on me. It was very loud inside, and those aspects certainly influenced my decision a lot. To be honest, I want to play my first game in front of Galatasaray fans as soon as possible."

In conclusion, Sané achieved his goal of a high salary. As a German national team winger, he was initially expected to re-sign with Bayern. Sané showed a changed appearance at the end of the season and publicly expressed his desire to stay at Bayern, prompting the club to make efforts to retain him.

Since Sané's contract with Bayern Munich will expire at the end of this month, there will be no transfer fee. Instead, Galatasaray plans to offer him a massive salary as a free agent.

According to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany, Sané will become the highest-paid player in the Turkish Super League. He is expected to receive a net salary of 15 million euros (approximately 23.5 billion won) until the summer of 2028, totaling over 70 billion won over three years. This amount far exceeds the current salary of 11.7 million euros (approximately 18.3 billion won) received by Allan Saint-Maximin (Fenerbahçe).

Sané will also receive additional contractual bonuses. Galatasaray's aggressive investment indicates its willingness to achieve success in the upcoming season of the UEFA Champions League through Sané's recruitment.

As a result, Sané achieved his goal of a high salary. The German national team winger initially seemed likely to re-sign with Bayern. With his changed demeanor at the end of the season and his expressed desire to stay, Bayern made efforts to retain him.

Bayern offered Sané a contract period of three years and a salary of 10 million euros (approximately 15.6 billion won), along with bonus amounts based on performance. Sané accepted this offer and verbally agreed to it, leaving only an official announcement pending.

However, Sané suddenly changed his mind. He unexpectedly fired his agent just before signing the contract and teamed up with 'super agent' Pini Zahavi. He then broke off negotiations by demanding a higher amount, leading to severe criticism in Germany regarding Sané's character.

As a free agent in the transfer market, Sané attracted interest from many teams. He was linked to Arsenal and Chelsea, who need reinforcement in their attacking line, and there were also reports that Tottenham viewed him as a successor to Son Heung-min. However, Sané chose Galatasaray, where he could secure a high salary, and landed in the Turkish league.

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