Sport

We want replacement for Mane before he leaves – Liverpool

Liverpool will only sell Sadio Mane if they can first recruit a replacement and would want more than €30 million (£25.5m) to let the Senegalese forward leave this summer.

Bayern Munich are interested in Mane, who has one year left on his contract at Anfield and is yet to agree a new deal.

The 30-year-old had promised to provide an announcement on his future after the Champions League final but, as Liverpool rushed to leave the Stade de France, did not, amid suggestions that he wants to leave.

Jurgen Klopp has often said that players who want to leave Liverpool will be allowed to providing they give the club warning so they can plan but the FA Cup and Carabao Cup winners are also determined to ensure Mane does not depart for a cut-price fee, with a mooted price of €30m to go to the German champions deemed insufficient.

While he could leave on a free transfer next year, if a new deal is not agreed, Mane has established himself among the leading wingers in world football since joining Liverpool from Southampton in 2016 and has proved a prolific striker in the last two months of this season.

The former RB Salzburg player, who struck the post in Saturday’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, has scored 120 goals in 269 games for Liverpool, a still more impressive total as it does not include penalties. He struck 23 times for his club this season, including nine in his last 14 appearances of the campaign, as well as scoring the winning spot kicks as Senegal won the African Cup of Nations and qualified for the World Cup.

While Liverpool have a ready-made replacement for Mane on the left wing, the position he long occupied, with Luis Diaz excelling since joining in January, the task of finding another forward is made harder as the Senegalese has proved he can play in all three positions in their front line.

Liverpool are already set to lose one attacker this season, with Divock Origi leaving when his contract expires. The Belgian will sign for AC Milan.

Idoko Dennis

Idoko Dennis is a creative videographer/drone pilot and sport writer. He heads the sport desk and deputizes the head of Idoma TV

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