Man Utd and Liverpool in transfer battle for £55m ex Arsenal target loved by Mikel Arteta

Manchester United and Liverpool are locked in a transfer battle for former Arsenal target Leroy Sane this month with several Premier League clubs eyeing up a swoop for the forward.

The German international has entered the final six months of his contract with the Bundesliga giants and can now agree a pre-contract deal with a rival club. Given the player's top flight experience, that has turned the heads of several outfits.

Football Insider name the Reds and Red Devils as potential suitors, alongside Manchester City and Chelsea. There's no talk of any Arsenal interest, despite the Gunners being linked with Sane throughout last summer and the autumn.

Liverpool and Man Utd competing with Premier League rivals

Mikel Arteta is known to be in the market for a winger this month with Bukayo Saka suffering an injury and Leandro Trossard linked with a move away. An injury to youngster Ethan Nwaneri has further highlighted the need for strength in depth.

The Gunners are believed to be focusing transfer attention on Athletic Bilbao and Spain star Nico Williams and PSG man Lee Kang-in as potential options. That will come as a relief to Liverpool, Manchester United and rivals in their pursuit of Sane.

Talks over a contract extension to keep the former Man City man at Bayern Munich are believed to have stalled with an upcoming exit from the German side the most likely outcome. Bayern paid a fee of around £55 million to sign Sane from City in 2020 and he has gone on to make 194 appearances for the club, winning three Bundesliga titles and a FIFA Club World Cup.

This season, Sane has been in and out of the starting XI but has found form over the festive period, just as transfer talk gathers pace. The winger has two goals and an assist in his last three Bundesliga outings.

The player had previously appeared keen to stay and play his football with Bayern Munich. Late last year he said: "We are in talks. I feel comfortable in Munich. I feel really comfortable. Talks are very good. My focus is currently only on Bayern."

Arsenal previously linked with Sane transfer interest

When in the Premier League, Sane made 90 top flight appearances, scoring 25 goals and picking up 29 assists. Fichajes has teased that Liverpool could view the player as a replacement for Mohamed Salah.

The Egypt international is out of contract at Anfield come the end of the season but the club are yet to reach a new deal to keep their talisman at the club. Salah has readily provided cryptic answers to questions over his future, sparking rumours of a departure from Liverpool.

Earlier this month, Salah said that any new deal was still 'far away from any progress'. He said: “There is nothing, no progress there. We are far away from any progress so we just need to wait and see.”

In November, Bundesliga expert Christian Falk spoke of serious transfer interest from Arsenal in Sane, who worked with Arteta at the Etihad Stadium. Speaking to CaughtOffside, Falk said: "Mikel Arteta is thought to be very keen on him; he was interested last year when there was no chance to get him, but now there is a chance.

"The Gunners play Champions League football and Arteta knows Sane from his days working with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. So you see there is a connection. This is the first big opportunity, besides Bayern, which could allow Leroy Sane a pathway back to the Premier League.”