Sadio Mane is said to be closing in on a Liverpool exit - with Bayern Munich close to agreeing a deal to sign him, according to reports in France.
The 30-year-old has just 12 months remaining on his Anfield contract and has yet to reach an agreement to extend beyond that. It has been suggested that talks are planned for the summer and the player himself has admitted his future will be cleared up after the Champions League final.
Mane has enjoyed a stellar 2022 so far, first guiding Senegal to the African Cup of Nations for the first time, before helping them to the World Cup at the expense of Mohamed Salah and Egypt. That success has directly influenced his club form, scoring 13 times in all competitions during the concluding months of the season.
He promises to play an integral role in Liverpool’s quest for a seventh European Cup on Saturday night, when they take on Real Madrid at the Stade de France.
But ahead of the showpiece in the French capital, Mane did little to quash speculation that he could be on the move. Teasing that he will make a public declaration on his future following the match.
“Honestly, the answer I can give you now is I feel very good, and I am fully focused on Saturday’s game. That is the answer I must give before the final,” he said to reporters, before Liverpool flew out to Paris.
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“But come back to me on Saturday and I will give you the best answer you want to hear, for sure. It’s special. I will give you all you want to hear then.”
And there is now mounting speculation that he is ready to end his Liverpool stint, with L’Equipe claiming he is open to a move to Bayern Munich where he could end up as Robert Lewandowski’s replacement. The prolific Polish striker is also out of contract in 2023 and has indicated that he would like to leave the Allianz Arena, likely for Barcelona.
Bayern are adamant that he will stay out and fulfil his contract but the possibility of Mane filling his boots could make an exit more palatable. The report adds that Mane’s representatives have already met with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, there is strong mutual interest and that a deal could be close.
The Liverpool striker is reported to be the priority for Bayern bosses, although there is no indication any fee has been agreed with the Premier League giants. German news outlet Bild claims that Bayern ‘imagine’ a deal in the region of £25million, although that kind of figure would likely be laughed away from Merseyside, with his valuation said to be substantially higher. However, there is a realisation that a failure to agree to terms on a new contract could see him move for nothing in a year’s time and that Bayern are ready to offer a deal worth €10m-a-year to Mane now.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner recently made it clear there is a desire to keep Salah and Mane at the club, with the Athletic stating that talks will be reopened with agents in the coming weeks.
“I’d like to keep those conversations confidential but obviously we’ve articulated our desire that they remain. Beyond that, I’ll leave that to Julian [Julian Ward, Sporting Director] ,” Werner explained.
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