Player Watch · Aug 29, 2026
Big money circled, Kaishu Sano didn't move: he's staying at Mainz
Big money circled and Kaishu Sano did not move. Mainz set an internal deadline of August 27 on any sale of our World Cup midfielder, telling suitors they needed time to find a replacement if he left, and put the price at 60 million euros just to start the conversation. Liverpool, Newcastle, and RB Leipzig all came sniffing, Leipzig reportedly walked away calling the asking price too steep and signed a Barcelona midfielder instead. When the deadline passed with no offer meeting that number, Mainz confirmed it themselves: Sano stays for 2026/27. He showed exactly why they wanted to keep him, starting the full 90 minutes in Mainz's Bundesliga opener, a scoreless draw with promoted side Paderborn, doing what he does best: closing passing lanes and driving forward out of midfield, every bit the player who scored against Brazil at the World Cup this summer. His contract runs through 2028. The suitors can come back next window, but for now our guy in Mainz isn't going anywhere.