Manchester United tried to sign Renato Sanches after the Portugal international starred with Benfica in 2016. In his only season for the Benfica first team, the team won the Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga. The Portuguese star attracted interest from big clubs across Europe and he won the Golden Boy Award for the year.
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The Red Devils’ sluggishness in appointing Jose Mourinho as Louis van Gaal’s successor ultimately cost them dear. He then agreed a move to Bayern Munich for an initial €35 million, the highest fee at the time for a Portuguese player leaving the domestic league.
The teenager opted to sign for Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern Munich but his Bundesliga dream has turned sour.
Renato Sanches has hinted at a summer exit from Bayern Munich as he continues to be sidelined by the Bundesliga champions. The midfielder has hinted that his time with the Bavarian club may be coming to an end thanks to his lack of playing time with the Germans giants.
The 21-year-old made a name for himself with Portugal, helping his nation win Euro 2016, and was viewed as one of the most promising young players in Europe at the time. He failed to live up to the hype in Germany after sensationally breaking into the Portugal squad and triumphing at Euro 2016 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
But he was loaned out to Swansea City last season and struggled for matches there, and a lack of time on the pitch for the Bavarians has seen him sour on playing for Bayern. The Portuguese star now says he may need to look at making a move as he seeks more chances at the club level.
Sanches spoke about his time in the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich and said: “I’m not happy here, I work a lot, but I’m not allowed to play,” he told Kicker . “I want to play more, maybe at a different club, I have to worry about that.”
Sanches has played just five times across all competitions for Bayern in 2019, coming on late in matches in all cases, his longest appearance just 16 minutes in a 6-0 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach.
The midfielder also still harbors big dreams for his future, writing for The Players’ Tribune earlier this month that he still felt he could win the Ballon d’Or in the future. “Now when I picture my future, [the Ballon d’Or] comes after my new dreams,” he said.
But Sanches also admitted even then that his dream of being named the best player in the world would not be possible without more time to prove his value in actual matches. Chances could be very limited with Sanches down the closing run of the season.Bayern have just nine Bundesliga matches remaining, along with a German cup quarter-final and whatever may come following that, leaving few matches for the midfielder to make any sort of impact. The Bavarians are out of the Champions League and face a real fight for the Bundesliga title as well.
His struggles in Germany – coupled with Manchester United’s need for a central midfielder – has led to talk he could be set for a move to England.