Sadio Mane has 12 months left on his Liverpool contract; Bayern are expected to offer the forward a three-year deal; Mane is yet to inform Liverpool of his decision; Liverpool lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday
Monday 30 May 2022 07:37, UK
Sadio Mane has not told Liverpool he wants to leave amid links with a move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are expecting contact from the German club but would want more than the €30million (£35m) being quoted to contemplate doing a deal for the Senegal international, who has 12 months left on his current deal.
Bayern are expected to offer Mane a contract until the summer of 2025, Sky Germany is reporting. They anticipate an initial offer of €30m plus between €5m and €10m in bonus payments.
The club's sporting director Hasan Salihamdzic will lead negotiations, while CEO Oliver Kahn and his predecessor Karl-Heinz Rumenigge watched Mane at Saturday night's Champions League final.
Mane hinted on Wednesday he would announce a "special" decision on his long-term plans after the Paris showpiece but following the 1-0 defeat at the Stade de France, the forward did not make an appearance in front of the media.
Manager Jurgen Klopp was asked about the Bayern rumours at his pre-match press conference in Paris and his answer was non-committal.
"Wherever Sadio will play next year, he will be a big player," said the Reds boss.
On Friday, Sky Germany also reported that Bayern Munich are confident they can sign Mane for less than €50m (£42.5m) this summer.
Salihamidzic has made Mane the top priority on his transfer list and met his representatives this month to formalise the interest.
Paris Saint-Germain were also linked with Mane, but Kylian Mbappe's contract extension and Leonardo's possible exit as sporting director means the club are unlikely to have the financial leeway to strike a deal.
Mane is not the only contract issue Liverpool have to resolve this summer as fellow forwards Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino - who make up the rest of his famed front three - are also entering their final 12 months.
However, ahead of the Champions League final, Salah confirmed that he will be at Liverpool next season.
The Premier League Golden Boot joint-winner has repeatedly said publicly he would like to remain at Anfield beyond his current deal.
Salah said in a press conference: "In my mind, I don't focus on the contract. I don't want to be selfish at all. I said two months ago it's about the team. It's an important week for us... I don't want to talk about the contract now, I'm staying next season for sure, that's clear."
On the Essential Football podcast, we react to Real Madrid's Champions League final win over Liverpool, which came courtesy of Vinicius Jnr's second-half goal. But that's only part of the story on a dramatic night. Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports' Nick Wright and Adam Bate from inside the Stade de France to dissect the big talking points.
The panel reflect on the twists and turns on the pitch, picking out the standout performers and fine margins which swung it the Spanish side's way, and also discuss the off-field issues, which saw Liverpool supporters struggle to get into the stadium and the match delayed by 37 minutes.
We also analyse what this result means for how Liverpool's season as a whole will be assessed - and how they bounce back from this disappointment in 2022/23.
"In the end, it is all measured by the colour of the medal you get after the game." That was Jurgen Klopp's perspective on Liverpool's season when asked about it on Friday. Rarely can that ever have felt as cruel as it did in Paris the very next evening.
This was a season that might have delivered four trophies - an historic quadruple to echo down the ages. With less than two hours of an epic campaign left to play, it briefly looked likely. Instead, Liverpool are left to console themselves with two domestic cups.
The problem for Liverpool in the Premier League is that Manchester City have taken relentlessness to new levels. The difficulty in the Stade de France was that the mentality monsters met their match - a Real Madrid with reasons to believe of their own.
The question that will be asked is what more Liverpool could have done? Was this a failing of Klopp's team?
Read more from Sky Sports' Adam Bate HERE