Bayern Munich have been after Leroy Sane for a while and using Kingsley Coman as a make-weight might push the deal through.
Guardiola may have already come to terms with the winger joining Bayern, stating: “What I want is for him to come back fit, his knee looks really good and after that, honestly, it’s not of my business. In terms of what the club and the agent and the player himself want to do with his own future, it’s not in my hands.”
Coman is a serial winner, having already picked up league trophies in France, Italy and Germany at just 23. He failed to rule out working with Guardiola again.
He said: “I don’t know what I want in five years so anything is possible… To stay at the top level and to win the most titles. Bayern is one of the clubs where you can do that.”
Guardiola signed Coman during his time at Bayern Munich in 2015, and the Frenchman has remained there since. The swap deal allows Guardiola the chance to not only replace Sane immediately but to replace him with someone he already knows.
Of course, this is all reliant on whether or not Leroy Sane wishes to leave Manchester City. The German, who signed from Schalke in 2016, refused to sign a new and improved deal last summer and is entering the final year of his contract.
Reports suggest that the deal was close last summer before Sane suffered a knee ligament injury which ruled him out for just over seven months.
If not Coman, then who?
Given the nature of a swap deal, Coman remains as one of the cheaper replacements for Sane. This could be an important factor given the fact that Manchester City stand to lose up to £77 million in 2020 alone from being banned from UEFA competitions for two years.
Serge Gnabry has also been linked to the Etihad, with reports suggesting he would be involved in a similar swap deal to the proposed Coman one.
Others include Leon Bailey, with Bayer Leverkusen valuing him at around £25m. Another is Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal, who would cost £70m.
