Just In: Sadio Mane is about to cost Liverpool millions, Does Klopp Seeks Reunion?

Sadio Mane looks set to be denied a reunion with Liverpool this summer, a year on from leaving the Reds.

The Senegalese, who scored 120 goals from 269 appearances across six seasons at Anfield, won every major honour

with Liverpool before leaving for Bayern Munich last summer. However, his time in Bavaria looks set to come to a

premature end.

Fabrizio Romano reports that the 31-year-old is set to become the latest high-profile player to move to Saudi Arabia, with a

deal between Al-Nassr and Bayern reportedly agreed. Consequently, Mane is set to miss out on facing his former side in

Singapore, with Liverpool due to face the German giants on Wednesday (August 2)

In truth, the Senegal international’s imminent exit is no surprise, given his flailing fortunes in Munich during the second

half of last season.

The forward would make 38 appearances in all competitions for Bayern, with 27 coming from the start, and featured 25

times in the Bundesliga. However, a leg injury, which required surgery, saw him miss over three months of the campaign

and ruled him out of the mid-season World Cup.

He would later be deemed surplus to requirements by new manager Thomas Tuchel, with the writing on the wall for Mane

since he allegedly punched team-mate Leroy Sane in the face after Bayern’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions

League last season. The pair were seen arguing both on the pitch and after the final whistle, with that confrontation

continuing into the dressing room.

Sane would then be spotted with a bloodied lip following the altercation, with reports suggesting their team-mates had to

pull the pair apart in the dressing room.

Mane, who scored 12 goals for his new club, was subsequently handed a £250,000 fine by Bayern, along with a one-match

suspension as he sat out their 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim. And while he would return to the starting XI next time out, even

scoring as the Bavarians lost 3-1 to Mainz, he ultimately finished the campaign on the fringes of Tuchel’s side, and was an

unused substitute as they clinched the Bundesliga title on the last day of the season.

Such silverware would prove to be his only major prize for the German outfit, as they lost in the quarter-finals of both the

Champions League and the DFB-Pokal. A disappointing season, despite winning their 11th successive title, Munich achieved

the bare minimum.

Consequently, Mane’s struggles at Bayern ensure that Liverpool won’t receive the maximum £35m fee they agreed when

selling the Senegalese last summer. The Reds received an initial £27.5m, with a further £5m due based on appearances, and

£2.5m in add-ons also owed, based on individual and team achievements.

The 2023/24 Premier League season is fast approaching and Liverpool will be hoping to be back competing for top spot.

Ahead of the action commencing, the ECHO have put together an ultimate 48-page guide to take a deeper dive into

Liverpool’s new signings and how they are likely to be utilised by Klopp. A closer look will also be taken at the players

expected to make their mark for the Reds in 2023/24, in addition to a club-by-club guide to the other 19 Premier League

teams.

How much of that additional £7.5m Liverpool will be entitled to is debatable.

Bayern’s first initial bid was worth £21.5m, with its add-ons dismissed as ‘laughable’. Equating to a little over £4m, they

were all based on individual and team achievements, with The Times reporting that the Reds would only receive the full fee

if Munich were to win the Champions League, and the player the Ballon d’Or, each season over the course of a three-year

contract.

While Mane’s efforts for club and country in 2022 saw him crowned Ballon d’Or runner-up last year, it’s safe to say he won’t

be anywhere near the running again this year. Meanwhile, he is highly unlikely to have activated his full appearance-based

add-ons ahead of a potential exit this summer.

Bayern at least won the Bundesliga title when it came to team achievements last year, even if they did fall short when it came

to their Champions League exploits. Were Mane to move on, it depends on the specific agreement met between the two clubs

whether Liverpool would still be entitled to bonus payments if such triumphs are achieved without the forward within the

span of his initial three-year contract.

As a result, the Reds will have perhaps banked a fraction of those £5m add-ons based on appearances, on top of the initial

£27.5m fee, with the rest of that total fee, along with the final £2.5m based on individual and team achievements,

unobtainable. While Liverpool agreed a £35m package that ensured they were selling the forward at a profit, the reality is

they will receive less than the £34m they paid Southampton for the Senegalese back in 2016.

Should Mane complete his switch to Al-Nassr, he will become the latest Reds figure to make the switch to Saudi Arabia,

following in the footsteps of Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler, with Fabinho

expected to follow shortly.

Consequently, he will at least be reunited with three of his former team-mates in the Gulf State in the Saudi Pro League, if

not the rest of Klopp’s Liverpool squad in Singapore next week. Meanwhile, new team-mates at Al-Nassr will include David

Ospina, Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, Talisca and Cristiano Ronaldo.