The 31-year-old former Liverpool star is poised to become the league’s newest high-profile signing.
On Saturday, Bayern Munich stated that Senegalese forward Sadio Mane was in talks “about a change of club,” with rumours claiming he was on his way to Saudi club Al Nassr.
The German champions pulled Mane out of a friendly in Tokyo, saying on social media, “Sadio Mane is in contract negotiations about a change of club and is therefore not in the line-up today.”
The 31-year-old former Liverpool star is poised to become the league’s newest high-profile signing.
As Bild and Kicker reported Mane was on his way to Al Nassr for a physical, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel refused to comment on the player’s future.
“We’re still in the transfer window, and I’d like to see what’s going on and wait and see what happens,” he said after Bayern’s 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale in Japan.
Mane would be another huge addition for the team that lured Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, in the first of a slew of signings by Saudi clubs.
Mane was a major member of Jurgen Klopp’s deadly front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, winning the Champions League and Premier League in six seasons with Liverpool.
Mane scored 18 goals as Liverpool won their first English league title in 30 years during the pandemic-affected 2019-2020 season.
However, after winning the African Player of the Year award in the summer of 2022, Mane decided he wanted a fresh challenge – unsubstantiated speculations suggested he had grown tired of sharing the spotlight with Egypt’s Salah at Anfield.
Bayern Munich made a major move for Mane, hoping to make him the focal point of an offence that had recently lost Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.
Following a great start to the season at Bayern Munich, it became evident that Mane was not clicking in Bavaria.
Mane suffered a fibula injury in a Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen in November, putting his season on hold.
Senegal’s aspirations were shattered when he was forced to miss the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year due to injury.
While Mane returned to the Bayern team in 2023, his issues were highlighted when he got into a physical brawl with teammate Leroy Sane following a Champions League loss to Manchester City.
Bayern Munich reportedly fined Mane about 350,000 euros ($385,000) and suspended him for one match for his role in the incident.
He finished the season with 12 goals in 38 games across all competitions.
With two years remaining on his contract, he is expected to leave Bayern.
On the international scene, Mane was instrumental in Senegal winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022.
Apart from Ronaldo Al Nassr, the club has also signed Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, Brazilian full-back Alex Telles, and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana this summer.
AFP
