Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has revealed he tried to persuade Sadio Mane to ditch plans to join Bayern Munich in order to prolong his stay at Anfield before he departed the club this summer.
Mane left Merseyside after six trophy-laden years, where he became an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's side that triumphed in the Champions League and Premier League.
The Senegal international enjoyed arguably his finest season in Liverpool colours during the 2019/20 campaign as he helped the club end their 30-year drought for a first division title, but struggled to replicate that form in the two years that followed. However, the forward did enjoy a late renaissance to his Reds career following his return from Africa Cup of Nations glory in February as he relished his position in a more central role following the signing of Luis Diaz.
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But even a pulsating hunt for an unprecedented quadruple wasn't enough to convince Mane, who had one year remaining on his contract, to stay put at Anfield for a seventh season on Merseyside - something which greatly disappointed Liverpool team-mate Fabinho.
“At the end of the season, I spoke a lot with Sadio. He told me about the situation and that he could leave,” the Brazilian told the Athletic. “I was always saying to him, ‘Come on Sadio, stay here. You can win the Premier League and the Champions League right here, don’t leave’. But I think he had already made his mind up. We had to respect that.
“Sadio had a really good story in a Liverpool shirt. He played for six years here and during that time he won everything you can win and he decided that he wanted a new challenge. That’s OK."
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com following his departure, the 30-year-old cited his desire for a new challenge as the main motivation behind his move to Bavaria.
"I can say of course we won a lot and I spent a great, great time there," said Mane. "An unbelievable time at Liverpool, we won a lot. Like I always say, my life is always [about a] challenge and when it came I said to the club that I want to leave, I want to go somewhere else to see a new challenge. It is not anything else, it is just a challenge because for me I want to always be challenging myself to get better and better."
Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp wasted no time in replacing Mane as they struck a deal with Benfica to sign forward Darwin Nunez for a sum that could rise to a club-record £85m, if he enjoys the same levels of success Mane did during his time on Merseyside. The Reds have also added 19-year-old Fabio Carvalho to their ranks this summer.
Klopp's side get their season underway next Saturday against Manchester City in the Community Shield, in what will be their first official game without their Senegalese star.
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