Germany boss Joachim Low has welcomed a potential move back to the Bundesliga for Manchester City winger Leroy Sane.
The 23-year-old is again being linked with a switch to Bayern Munich, having started his career with rivals Schalke before leaving to join City five years ago.
According to a report in Sport Bild, Sane has decided a return to Germany is in his long-term interests and it has been suggested that the attacker could push for a move as early as January.
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And national team boss Low has thrown his support behind such a switch, stating: “He’s got many special skills and a completely unique style of play. He would be an attraction for the Bundesliga.
“The Bundesliga needs to watch out – the international ranking doesn’t look too good because in recent years the league fell behind a bit. Sane could maintain the attractiveness of the Bundesliga.”
Low gave Sane his international debut in November 2015 and took him to the European Championship the following year, although he raised eyebrows when he left him out of his squad for the 2018 World Cup.
Sane has been sidelined since the end of August after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury and speculation over his future continues to be a hot topic.
He is now back in training with an eye on returning to first-team action as soon as possible, although Pep Guardiola stressed that he cannot guarantee when the winger will return to full fitness.
“When will he be back? I don’t know,” Guardiola told a news conference ahead of City’s Carabao Cup trip to Oxford United on Wednesday night.
“The process is [about] getting perfect, not [risking] setbacks. I think he is physically strong, muscular, but he is recovering well. The next step is on the pitch and then the team, and we will be so happy when he is back.”
Adding on whether a January move could be on the cards, Pep said: “I don’t know about that. Anything can happen.”
Bayern president Uli Hoeness has already admitted that he expects the club to revive their interest in the forward, who made the switch to England from Schalke for an initial £37 million ($49m) in 2014.
Sane’s current deal runs into its final year at the end of the season and has been offered a new contract with City, though it remains unsigned.