Leroy Sane says Chelsea are Man City's biggest threat to Premier League title

Tuesday 24 July 2018 13:28, UK

Leroy Sane believes Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea pose the biggest threat to Manchester City's Premier League crown this season.

The Blues finished fifth last season, outside the Champions League places and 30 points adrift of runaway champions City.

But Sane believes the arrival of Sarri, who City faced twice in the Champions League last season when he was in charge of Napoli, will rejuvenate Chelsea.

When asked who will be the biggest threat to City, Sane told Sky Sports News: "I think Chelsea because they have brought a really good coach.

"If you have seen how Napoli played last season, it was really, really attractive and really good. We really suffered against them.

"They will need some time to get really used to his tactics. They could be really tough.

"Also Liverpool too - they bought really good players. They could be really strong next season."

Sane is currently with City on the club's preseason tour of the United States.

The 22-year-old was surprisingly left out of Germany's World Cup squad but he insists he has put that behind him and is focused on improving on last season, when he finished as the PFA's Young Player of the Year.

Sane said: "I am looking forward. It has motivated me too. I still want to be on the pitch playing in a World Cup and I will work harder.

"Of course I was disappointed at the beginning but I tried as soon as possible to leave it behind me and to focus on myself - to get mentally back stronger and to look forward.

"Coming back to preseason with my team, I wanted to have full focus on my team and on next season."

City have made just one signing so far this summer, breaking their transfer record to sign Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City for £60m.

Pep Guardiola will have an embarrassment of riches in the attacking third next season with Sane, Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva all likely to be competing for two spots in City's starting line-up.

But Sane is embracing the competition and believes City will reap the benefits later in the season.

"He [Mahrez] is a great player. He will add so much quality to our game and will help us to get better," Sane said.

"I think to have competition is really good. It is good for a team to know you always have to give 100 per cent, you have to always be ready and you have to always play good.

"The squad is what makes the team better. We can rotate more. Bernardo Silva can play more in the middle. We can be fitter and fresher in the games.

"Players will not have to play all the games during the season and can have some recovery."

City's next pre-season game is against Liverpool at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday.