Schalke have warned Manchester City that they would be wasting their time if they chose to pursue attacking midfielder Leroy Sane.
City have been linked with making a £32m move for the 19-year-old, who has impressed with four goals and four assists in 17 Bundesliga appearances so far this season.
However, despite spending over £150m on the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and and Raheem Sterling last summer, the Premier League giants have been told that they don’t have the funds to prise Sane away from Germany.
“We don’t want to sell him and Leroy doesn’t want to leave the club,” Schalke general manager Horst Heldt told Bild, in quotes The Guardian. “Even Man City haven’t got that much money!”
Sane signed a new contract with the club last year that will keep him there until 2019, while his agent has been quoted as saying that Schalke is the best place for him to continue to develop his talent.
Furthermore, Manuel Pellegrini has suggested that he is happy with his squad, and so expects a quiet January transfer window as the Citizens continue to fight for a Premier League title.
The Chilean’s side currently trail joint league leaders Arsenal and Leicester City by three points, but such has been the inconsistency of all the teams in England so far this season, the title remains very much up for grabs.