Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches wants to return to Benfica
Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches reportedly wants to return to his home club, Benfica, for a season-long loan.
Bayern Munich have an overcrowded midfield and are surely set to have a few departures in that area this summer. Arturo Vidal was linked with a few different clubs earlier this week, while Thiago gave a cryptic message about his future.
Renato Sanches is the latest player to be linked away from the club. The Portuguese midfielder has returned to Bayern after a loan spell at Swansea City, but he may not remain in Bavaria for long.
According to a report in Portuguese outlet A Bola, Sanches is keen on returning to Benfica this summer. Sanches wants to reignite his career at his boyhood club. The report suggests that talks are progressing between both clubs. However, the most likely stumbling block is the salary of Sanches ,as Bayern are not keen to pay any part of his wages. Sanches has also been linked with a move to Napoli after Carlo Ancelotti signed for the Italian club a few days ago.
The Portuguese international joined Bayern in 2016 after a fantastic debut season with Benfica. Several of Europe’s top clubs were fighting for his signature, but Bayern won the race early. The fee paid for Sanches was close to €35 million, with potential add-ons taking it close to €80 million (via ESPN).
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Sanches enjoyed a terrific ’15-16 campaign with Benfica and also won the Euros with Portugal in the summer of 2016. However, his first season at Bayern Munich didn’t go according to plan. Renato struggled to get regular gametime in a star-studded midfield. He failed to score or assist a goal in his first season at Bayern.
Sanches went on the pre-season tour in Ancelotti’s second season. But he was still linked with numerous clubs across Europe, as Bayern wanted to send him on loan. He concluded his transfer in the final days of the window.
His destination, Swansea City, came as a bit of a surprise, though. Ancelotti’s former assistant manager at Bayern — Paul Clement — was then manager of the Welsh club and a large reason why Sanches went to the Swans.
His loan spell at Swansea turned into an absolute nightmare. His season was marred by injuries and poor form. Sanches was able to feature only 15 times for the Premier League side. This eventually cost him a place in Portugal’s squad for the World Cup.
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The upcoming season is very important for Sanches. He needs to get himself fit and get regular gametime to revamp his stagnated career. A move to Benfica might be exactly what he needs to help him to get back to his best. Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently claimed that Sanches will play for Bayern next season, but a loan move to Benfica is more what he needs right now.