The long-serving Liverpool forward Sadio Mane is expected to depart Bayern Munich as part of a summer shakeup, but he won’t be going back to Anfield.
After winning the Bundesliga on the final day, Bayern demanded quick change, and Oliver Kahn, the company’s chief executive, and Hasan Salihamidzic, its sporting director, were fired.
Speaking after the 2-1 win over Koln that clinched the title, Thomas Tuchel admitted the news “cast a bit of a cloud” over his side’s success.
But Tuchel is now, according to The Athletic‘s Raphael Honigstein, set to be given “a lot more power than [Bayern] usually have” with their managers.
That, it would appear, includes the departure of Mane after only a year at the Allianz Arena, following a clash with team-mate Leroy Sane in April that saw him fined and suspended by the club.
It was reported soon after the incident that Bayern would “try everything” to sell their No. 17, while more recently Sky Germany‘s Florian Plettenberg claimed the Premier League was his “most realistic option.”
Unsurprisingly, this has led to speculation over a move back to Anfield, and this week the Liverpool Echo have clumsily covered reports from BILD that suggest he could make a “shock return.
With no link to the original source, the Echo‘s report gives little context behind the claim that Mane could rejoin Liverpool.
Either way, the 31-year-old will not be moving back to his former club – for a variety of reasons.
Primarily this comes with Jurgen Klopp having a plethora of attacking options already at his disposal, with Luis Diaz brought in ahead of Mane’s exit and both Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo arriving since.
Roberto Firmino has now left on a free transfer, but the manager also has Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota as part of his forward line.
There are high hopes for Ben Doak coming through, too, while a shift in system could put more emphasis on Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott as long-term attacking options.
Beyond that, Liverpool’s priorities in the transfer market undoubtedly lie elsewhere, with funds required for a major rebuild in the midfield.
Brighton‘s Alexis Mac Allister is the chief target, but reliable links have been made with OGC Nice’s Khephren Thuram, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone, Chelsea‘s Mason Mount and Bayern’s Ryan Gravenberch.
With James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arthur all having left, the focus will be on bringing at least two – and likely three – new midfielders.
Bayern may be eager to sell Mane, and he may be open to a return to Anfield, but the fees involved would no longer make sense for Liverpool.
According to GOAL’s Neil Jones, who reported on the story in April, “Liverpool sources have offered little encouragement to such stories,” while BILD have stated that resigning is “not an option.”
Not to mention the obvious decrease he has had since changing teams, with Mane falling out of favor at Bayern due to an inability to connect on the field.
Despite adding a new title to his list of accomplishments this season, Mane is in a precarious situation this summer.
And because Liverpool isn’t in the cards, it’s unclear where he’ll end up next.
