MX23RW : Friday, December 13 01:50:35| >> :60:2949:2949:

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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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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