Sadio Mane, a Senegalese striker now playing for Bayern Munich, has reportedly been linked to a move to the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr. On Saturday, Bayern Munich made the announcement that they were in discussions “about a change of club” for Mane.
Mane was not included in the line-up for a friendly match that the German champions played because they tweeted the following: “Sadio Mane is in contract negotiations about a change of club and is therefore not in the line-up today.”
The former Liverpool great, who is now 31 years old, is expected to become the next high-profile player to sign with a club in the financially lucrative Saudi league.
It was reported in Bild and Kicker magazine that he was on his way to meet with Al Nassr for the usual medical consultation.
It was the Saudi club that pulled off the first coup in a flurry of signings by Saudi clubs when they lured Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or. Mane would be another huge acquisition for the club that pulled off the initial coup.
Mane was an integral member of Jurgen Klopp’s deadly front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino during his six seasons at Liverpool, during which time the club won both the Premier League and the Champions League.
During the 2019-2020 season, which was marred by the epidemic, Liverpool won the English league championship for the first time in thirty years thanks to Mane’s 18 goals.
However, after winning the African Player of the Year award in the summer of 2022, Mane made the decision that he wanted a new challenge. Unconfirmed rumors were that he was bored of competing for attention with Egypt’s Salah at Anfield. Mane opted to leave Liverpool.
Bayern made a strong move for Mane, vowing to make him the focal point of an attack despite having recently lost Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona. Mane was one of Bayern’s top offensive targets at the time.
Mane had a good start to the season with Bayern, but it was quickly apparent that things were not going to work out for him in Bavaria.
In November, while playing for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, Mane sustained an injury to his fibula, which forced the suspension of the rest of his season.
Because of the injury, Senegal’s prospects of winning the World Cup in Qatar, which took place at the end of the previous year, were dealt a devastating blow.
Even though Mane was reinstated to the Bayern squad in 2023, his issues were brought to light after he was engaged in a violent confrontation with a teammate named Leroy Sane following a loss to Manchester City in the Champions League. Mane’s difficulties were highlighted by this incident.
It has been claimed that Bayern has given Mane a fine of about 350,000 euros ($385,000) and a one-game ban for his participation in the incident.
At the conclusion of the season, he played 38 games in all competitions and finished with a disappointing 12 goals.
Even though he still has two years remaining on his contract, he is planning to leave Bayern.