Liverpool will demand more than €30m for Sadio Mane this summer and will only consider selling if a replacement is sourced.
The Senegal star has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich this season as he enters the final 12 months of his Anfield contract.
Mane hinted earlier this week that he would announce a decision on his long-term plans after the Champions League final with Real Madrid, saying: “I am fully focused on the Saturday game, that is the answer I must give before the final. But come back to me on Saturday and I will give you the answer. It’s special.”
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Anfield sources insist Mane has not communicated his desire to leave - but they are braced for contact from Bayern as speculation in Germany intensifies over the 30-year-old.
The ECHO understands that Liverpool will want a sum in excess of the fee of £25.5m (€30m) that has been reported across German media this week. Despite only having a year on his terms at Anfield, the Reds feel the player’s quality - as evidenced by his 23 goals this term - versatility and experience make him worth considerably more.
Another factor in Liverpool’s decision making will centre around the possibility of recruiting a top-level replacement for Mane, who joined from Southampton in the summer of 2016.
Liverpool’s problem, though, is finding a player capable of emulating what Mane has given to Jurgen Klopp over the past six years. The 2022 Africa Cup of Nations winner has scored 120 goals since moving from the south coast for around £30m and has been a driving force behind the success enjoyed of the last three years.
Mane’s versatility is also another factor given the Senegal star has flourished across all three positions over the Reds’ front three.
After shifting from the right to the left to accommodate the signing of Mohamed Salah in 2017, Mane moved central in February following the capture of Luis Diaz from Porto for a fee that could rise up to £50m.
Diaz was initially slated to be a summer target at Anfield but the club were forced to make their move in January after Tottenham registered their own firm interest.
The Colombian international, however, is not viewed as Mane’s long-term replacement at Anfield and it is understood Liverpool will look for a replacement if Mane is reluctantly sold this summer.
Mane played the full game in Paris on Saturday night as the Reds ended their 63-game season with defeat in the Champions League final with Real Madrid.
Speaking in a press conference on Friday, Reds boss Klopp said of Mane: "On the Bayern Munich rumours, I couldn't care less at the moment. Sadio is focused. We have no concerns, it is completely normal. He knows how important this game is. It is not the first time before a big game that Bayern Munich rumours have come up.
"This is the wrong moment to speak about that. Wherever Sadio will play next year, he will be a big player."
