Last week, Sadio Mane played a crucial role in securing Senegal’s place in the 2022 World Cup finals after scoring the winning penalty in a decisive playoff shootout against Egypt. Senegal took the game to penalties after their 1-0 win on the night cancelled out Egypt’s victory by the same scoreline in the first leg.
Egypt captain and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was one of four players to miss the first four penalties, inadvertently teeing up his teammate Mane to grab the headlines just like he did back in the AFCON final against Egypt back in February.
Mane will now be one of the stars representing his nation in Qatar at the end of the year, however, it remains to be seen whether he will be doing so still as a Liverpool player. Mane is still understandably considered to be one of the best forward players in the Premier League and he’s scored 14 goals across all competitions for the Reds so far this season, with still a quarter of the campaign to go.
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He also remains a popular figure on the Kop and one that Liverpool fans will be eager to see remain. But yet, there is a chance that Mane could make a surprise exit this summer. This is because at the end of the season, the forward will be entering into the final year of his current deal, as of yet there’s been no talk of an extension being offered. It’s a similar story for Roberto Firmino.
Salah’s contract is also due to expire at the end of next season, however, negotiations to extend his deal have already begun. This could also be the case, of course, for Mane and Firmino, but quotes attributed to the former's agent last week seemed to suggest that Liverpool had yet to even open talks over a new deal.
This might be because, in terms of a profile, there’s a case to be made that he is easier to replace based on the players Liverpool now have in their squad.
Over the last 18 months, Liverpool have signed both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. Although both players are highly versatile attackers, the bulk of their best work comes out on the left, which is the position Mane’s thrived within for most of his Liverpool career.
Jota will sometimes alternatively feature through the middle as a number nine in the place of Firmino, yet the Portuguese international hasn't been able to replicate the unique brilliance of the Brazilian taking on that role. He scores plenty of important goals but simply doesn’t link play as expertly as Firmino.
This means Jurgen Klopp could be keener to keep Firmino around for at least another year while a suitable long-term replacement matching his skillset is identified. In the case of Mane though, Liverpool look to have already found two players who have the potential to be his long-term successor.
Klopp may still consider Mane better than both at this current stage of their careers, however, if a club were to put forward an attractive offer for the 29-year-old this summer, Liverpool may look at it from a business perspective and be tempted to sell. It would after all be their last chance to make any money on the forward before leaving for free next year.
