VALUE FOR MANE
Liverpool finally agree £35M deal to sell striker Sadio to Bayern Munich
SADIO MANE was finally granted his wish to join Bayern Munich after Liverpool accepted an offer of £35.1million.
The Reds had wanted £42.5m for the Senegal international, who had made clear his desire to move to the German champions.
The fee, Bayern’s third offer, includes £7.6m in add-ons and Mane will now travel from his native country, where he is on holiday, to Munich for a medical before completing the move.
It brings to an end Mane’s six trophy-laden years under Jurgen Klopp (left) at Anfield. The Reds, who paid Southampton £34m for him in 2016, feel they have got a good deal after Mane told them following the Champions League final defeat that he wanted out. Mane, who had only 12 months left on
his contract, verbally agreed terms on a three-year deal with Bayern worth a reported £250,000 a week, leaving Liverpool with little bargaining power.
Sporting director Julian Ward reached agreement with his Bayern counterpart Hasan Salihamidzic, who flew to Merseyside yesterday to clinch the deal.
The Reds had dismissed Bayern’s opening bids of £25m and £30m, which included the fanciful add-ons of them winning three successive Champions Leagues and Mane three Ballon d’Ors.
To stay on Merseyside Mane had demanded to be Liverpool’s top earner but the FA Cup winners were not prepared to smash their wage structure to keep a player who was 30 in April.
Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez (above) from Benfica at the start of the week in a deal worth a potential club-record £85m and his arrival gave Klopp the green light to sell Mane.
His exit means the end of Liverpool’s legendary front three of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Mane – and the Egyptian and Brazilian could also leave next summer when their contacts expire.
Kopites will be sad to see Mane go because he played a key role in Liverpool’s success under Klopp, scoring 120 goals in 269 appearances.
In his six years on Merseyside he helped them win the Champions League, Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Last season he was in the running for the Ballon d’Or after leading Senegal to Africa Cup of Nations glory and then to World Cup qualification.