We were hoping that Jurgen Klopp would use his contacts to get a deal over the line for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer but, with other elite clubs clearly interested, Liverpool have been linked with more of a provider in the latest news cycle – Sadio Mane.
The Sun reports:
LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp is ready to buy Sadio Mane in a £30million deal.
Klopp wants the pacy Southampton striker to be his main summer signing and is close to agreeing a fee.
Mane was the subject of intense transfer speculation last season but Manchester United’s interest has possibly cooled with their change of manager and that may leave the door open for Liverpool.
Here are some of his best moments for The Saints in his young career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COIJRVxTwBY
At 24 Mane has come on in leaps and bounds over the last two years and can play equally well out wide or at number 10. He’s a cool finisher who has hit 10 goals in 36 games for Senegal and 25 in 75 in two seasons at Southampton.
But his game is about so much more than goals. He’s an orchestrator of a very high order. He has genuine pace but also great ball control and a football brain that can pick out great passes and predict the movements of team mates.
Even at £30m we think that Mane would be a snip for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp attempts to add even more speed to his attack for next season. The report suggests that The Reds would be prepared to pay £25m up front and the rest in, presumably performance related, extras.
Liverpool fans – would this be a good investment or would he seek the same spaces as Coutinho?