Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane has expressed his desire to become a club “legend”, amid ongoing speculation he could join Real Madrid this summer.
The Senegalese star has scored 21 goals in 42 matches for the Reds across all competitions this term, helping the team challenge for Premier League and Champions League glory.
Mohamed Salah was Liverpool’s main goalscorer last season, but Mane has shared the load with his colleague over the last twelve months and attracted plenty of interest from top clubs around Europe in the process.
According to the Daily Mail, Real Madrid have identified the 27-year-old as one of their main transfer targets this summer, but he appears to have distanced himself from a move with his comments at the start of the week.
As the Mail reports, Mane – who recently reached 100 appearances for Liverpool – told the club’s official magazine of his future ambitions: “Of course I want to be a legend not only for Liverpool but also in the Premier League story and that is one of my targets. I will do everything possible to achieve everything possible.
“Reaching 100 games means a lot to me. To play this many games for a club like Liverpool is incredible.
“Like I have always said, I am very happy to play for this club and every single day I am enjoying being here and trying to do everything to win something for this club.”
Mane certainly sounds committed to remaining at Anfield for some time yet, having signed a new £150,000 per week contract back in November which was designed to keep him at the club until 2023 – as The Guardian states.
The Reds forward has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most effective players in recent years and his continued presence in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI will be vital to their chances of success going forward.
There is little doubt that Mane would thrive at Santiago Bernabeu if given the opportunity, but there is no logical reason for him to leave Liverpool at this stage of his career.
He has the opportunity to win a sensational double with the club come May and Klopp seems to be building a team capable of challenging for silverware for many years to come.
Supporters can now rest easy knowing that Mane will be sticking around to torment Premier League defences for the foreseeable future, as Liverpool continue to go from strength to strength.
