Spartak Moscow have mocked Bayern Munich are they saw on offer rejected for Sadio Mane, with Liverpool labelling it a "joke".
The German side are in the market for a forward as they face the threat of losing Robert Lewandowski, who has expressed a desire to leave the Allianz Arena. Mane is another player who could be on the move in the coming months with his contract due to enter its final 12 months.
Bayern have looked to test the Reds' resolve, with their latest offer of £30m being rejected. That included an up front payment of £23.5m with a further £6.5m in add-ons. Liverpool's issue was, not only with the price, but the extreme bonus payments included.
It would require Mane to claim the Ballon d'Or on three occasions - he currently has none at the age of 30. It would also need Bayern to scoop a hat trick of Bundesliga titles, along with European trophies. Liverpool have told the Bundesliga champions not to return unless they make an offer north of £40m.
That hasn't stopped Spartak poking fun at the German side however with a mock transfer offer on Twitter. They've drawn up a joke letter, signalling Bayern's intent to bid for Alexander Sobelov. They've stated that an initial €1,000 will be paid upfront.
However their add-ons are as follows. €10m if Bayern win Eurovision, €15m if Manchester United claim a trophy and €20m if Lionel Messi returns to Spain and joins Real Madrid. The latter especially borders on impossible given his association with Barcelona.
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The German side are also not going to be winning a singing competitions anytime soon. Germany have won Eurovision just once in the last 35 years. Mane has recently come out and clarified comments he made whilst with Senegal. He initially claimed: "I respect the fans and team but 60 to 70 per cent of Senegalese want me to leave Liverpool? I'll do what they want."
He later clarified his comments, stating: "I spoke yesterday while joking with a bit of humour and it was everywhere. I think we'll stop there. Liverpool is a club I respect a lot. The fans adopted me since day one. Regarding the future, we'll see.”
Liverpool are in the midst of negotiating a new contract for Mo Salah, who also has less than a year to run on his deal at Anfield. The two clubs continue to be engaged in talks with no solution yet found between them. Benfica's Darwin Nunez is seen as a potential summer arrival should the club lose a marquee player.
