Sadio Mane, the Senegalese football superstar who was suspended and fined after punching his Bayern Munich teammate Leroy Sane, has expressed his desire to return to Liverpool.
Despite struggling in his first season in Germany and being valued at around €45m, Mane may be available for just £25m after leaving Anfield for over £30m.
Mane’s Homecoming-A Catch for Liverpool or a Risky Move?
While Mane may provide an incredible return for Liverpool, it is uncertain whether Jurgen Klopp will want to bring the player back to the team, given that he let him leave last summer and has already replaced him with a few new signings in the last 15 months.
Liverpool have struggled without Mane this season, although Darwin Nunez has performed admirably, scoring eight times in the Premier League. Nonetheless, Mane could be available for just £25 million, a reduced price from his departure of over £30m.
According to Football Insider, Mane has told friends he “misses Liverpool” and is “aching” for a Premier League return. Liverpool, however, are unlikely to sign him again due to his age and the current makeup of the squad.
The club has bought three forwards for big fees in the last three windows- Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Cody Gakpo and the trio all play in Mane’s preferred positions of left-sided forward and central striker.
The disappointing season of Sadio Mane at Bayern Munich
Although Mane was a valuable addition to Bayern Munich last summer, his performances have not been up to par, and he has not fit into Thomas Tuchel’s system.
Bayern are currently looking to sign a new striker and offload Mane, but it is unclear if any team will pick up the 31-year-old winger, whose reputation has been diminished by his performances this season and his recent bust-up with Leroy Sane.
Bayern Munich may want to offload Mane at the earliest and focus on signing a new striker in the summer. Mane’s current contract runs until 2025, and at €20m a year, Bayern would need to pay almost €40m more over the next two years.
Even getting those wages off the books could be a massive boost for the club financially, which could pay for the salary of a top-level striker like Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
Mane made 269 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 120 goals and making 49 assists across all competitions.
He left the club on the back of arguably his finest campaign at the club, having banged in 23 goals in the previous season and being particularly outstanding in the final months of the season in a new center-forward role as Klopp’s side chased the quadruple.
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