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Pep Guardiola: 'I would have liked Leroy Sane to stay'

The German winger is closing in on a move to Bayern Munich.

Pep Guardiola has wished Leroy Sane well with the winger set to leave Manchester City for Bayern Munich.

City are close to completing a deal with the German champions that could be worth a potential £54.8million.

Guardiola said: “It looks like he is going to go to Munich. I wish him all the best. I give him a big thanks for our years together.

Pep Guardiola is preparing to lose Leroy Sane
Pep Guardiola is preparing to lose Leroy Sane (Nick Potts/PA)

“I would have liked him to stay here but he has decided to move on.”

After losing out on the Premier League title to Liverpool this season, City have the chance to prove a point as they host the Reds at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday.

Guardiola says, however, that his team always want to prove a point.

Speaking at a virtual press conference to preview the game, Guardiola said: “In sport, you have to prove every time.

“We are incredibly satisfied with what we have done and are doing but for athletes it is never enough. The past is the past, we have entered it in our memories but the show must go on.”

Guardiola has a healthy respect for his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp, with the pair’s rivalry being an amicable one.

Guardiola said: “I don’t know him that well but I admire him and the way that his teams play football. It is a benefit for the world, a positive to try to score a goal, and this kind of manager helps a lot.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have an amicable rivalry
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have an amicable rivalry (Peter Byrne/PA)

“He wants to win, I want to win, but when it is finished the game is over. He’s my colleague and of course I want to have a good relationship with managers.”

City are still to learn where the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid will be played. The match was due to be played in Manchester but there have been suggestions it could be moved to Portugal when the competition resumes in August.

Guardiola said: “We are going to play wherever UEFA decide to play. Hopefully Manchester, but we don’t know.”

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


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