Sadio Mane is all set to play for Bayern Munich from the next season, thus bringing the curtains down to his long and illustrious career at Liverpool. Mane joined Liverpool for £34 million, the record fee for an African player at the time, and played an instrumental role in breaking the club’s Premier League title drought in 2019.
Over the course of six years, Mane formed a formidable attacking partnership with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, scoring 90 goals and 36 assists in 196 Premier League games. Mane also had 24 goals and 8 assists in the European competition, the most memorable being the one he scored against Bayern Munich in the Round Of 16.
With only a year left to his contract, it was imminent that Mane wanted to move away from Liverpool. There was interest from numerous clubs, but Bayern Munich’s offer proved to be the most irresistible for him. The Bundesliga giant improved upon their previous bids to snap Mane at £27.1 million. Although there’s no official confirmation from either club, the Senegalese was spotted in Munich in Bayern’s outfit.
Mane revealed how excited he was after seeing a genuine interest from Julian Nagelsmann’s side. He said, “When my agent first told me about Bayern’s interest, I was immediately excited.” I saw myself there right away.”
“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the team is always fighting for every title. So, for me it was a very good idea and the right decision to come here,” added Mane to German sports publication, Bild.
With Serge Gnabry wanting to move back to Premier League, Bayern desperately needed some reinforcements at the wings. Mane is likely to be deployed with Kingsley Coman on either side of Robert Lewandowski, while Leroy Sane will have to fight for his place. Nagelsmann can also take a leaf out of Jurgen Klopp’s book, using Mane as the false-9. In that case, both Coman and Sane will play on the wings.
“My agent told me that there were enquiries from other clubs. That’s part of the business. But I got the feeling right away when Bayern presented their plan to me. I found myself in Bayern’s plan more than anyone else,” concluded Mane.
Featured Image Credit: This Is Anfield
