Sadio Mane was arguably the saddest Liverpool player on the van the club used for their trophy parade on Sunday, May 29, 2022. The 30-year-old Senegalese winger kept a straight face in most parts of the trophy parade as if he was reflecting on how he had spent his time at Liverpool.
Recall that Liverpool decided to stick to their plans of having a trophy parade around the city of Liverpool despite losing the Premier League title to Manchester City on May 22 and the UEFA Champions League title to Real Madrid on May 28. But their triumph over Chelsea in the EFL Cup and FA Cup was worth celebrating.
Sadio Mane played a major role in Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns but his effort proved not to be enough, especially in the Champions League in which he could not score against Real Madrid.
Before the Champions League final, reporters asked Sadio Mane about his future at Liverpool, he promised to make a “special announcement” after the Champions League final but he is yet to do so at the time of publishing this report.
Reports in the United Kingdom claimed that the Senegal international has not officially informed Liverpool of his interest to leave the Premier League side. However, transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Mane could inform Liverpool that he was leaving this week.
In the same vein, Bayern Munich, the German Bundesliga club that are desperately trying to sign Sadio Mane this summer, are close to reaching an agreement with the Senegalese on a deal expected to be worth £34 million according to a report by Matteo Moretto.
Sadio Mané has decided to leave Liverpool this summer 🚨🔴 #LFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 29, 2022
He’s ready for a new experience after many special years with Reds – it will be confirmed to the club.
FC Bayern are strong contenders – but it’s still open and not completed as Sadio wanted to wait for the final. pic.twitter.com/hr6R5NmuZ0
This means that Mane who has been playing for Liverpool since July 1, 2016, could exit the club with over 12 months left on his current contract with the club.
How Liverpool are preparing for the exit of Sadio Mane?
Since Sadio Mane joined Liverpool in 2016, the Senegalese winger has scored 120 goals and provided 48 assists in 269 games in all competitions. This season alone, the 30-year-old winger has scored 23 goals and provided 5 assists in 51 games.
This means that if Mane leaves Liverpool this summer, that would create a huge void that the club must fill. To do that, Liverpool has reportedly made contact with the representatives of Barcelona’s France winger Ousmane Dembele.
The 25-year-old winger who has played under coach Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund will be out of contract at Barca and has decided to continue his football career elsewhere. Hence, Liverpool are making efforts to sign him on a free transfer this summer as the potential replacement for Mane.
This means that Liverpool and Chelsea would have to compete for the signature of Dembele this summer. As it stands, the final decision lies in the hands of the French footballer.
