Sadio Mane Expected to Leave Liverpool, per Reports

Liverpool star Sadio Mané is set to leave the club this summer, according to multiple reports. 

The Athletic’s James Pearce reported that Mané is expected to leave the club, although no deal has been announced amid reports that a move to Bayern Munich is imminent. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano was first to report the news of Mané’s expected departure.  

Mané, whose current contract with Liverpool has one year remaining, said last week that he would announce a decision on his future shortly after the Champions League final, which Liverpool lost to Real Madrid on Saturday. 

The winger joined Liverpool from Southampton for a reported £34 million in the summer of 2016 and went on to score 120 goals in 269 games in all competitions over the course of six seasons. While at Liverpool, Mané won the Premier League title in 2019–20 along with the Champions League in 2018–19.

This season, Mané has had nothing short of a successful year, which started with him winning the African Cup of Nations with Senegal over Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah’s Egypt. Along with winning the League Cup and FA Cup with Liverpool, Mané also helped lead Senegal to World Cup qualification once again at Egypt’s expense.

The 30-year-old is in contention to become the second African player to win the Ballon d’Or after Liberian forward George Weah’s 1995 triumph, although Liverpool’s loss in the Champions League final may give the upper hand to Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.  

All eyes at Liverpool now shift to Salah, who is in a similar contract situation as Mané with one year remaining. Salah did ease some nerves in the build-up to the Champions League final by claiming that he would “for sure” be back at Liverpool next season, but that doesn’t guarantee that a new long-term contract will follow.

This season proved Liverpool’s depth in attack with Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz contributing to the club’s success. Liverpool is also set to complete the summer signing of Fulham’s 19-year-old rising star Fabio Carvalho.