Fabrizio Romano insists it was “impossible” for Liverpool to persuade Sadio Mane to stay at the club this summer as he pushed for a transfer to Bayern Munich.
The Senegal international was a star player for Jurgen Klopp’s side for many years, and if anything he’s earning even more appreciation now that he’s gone, with the Reds clearly missing what he brought to the team.
While Mohamed Salah has often got the plaudits for his stunning goal record up front, it’s clear that Mane was hugely influential in making Liverpool such a great attacking force.
Romano insists, however, that Mane was clear after the Champions League final that he wanted to be allowed to move to Bayern, and there was never a chance for Liverpool to change his mind.
“If you ask me, I don’t think selling Mane was a mistake, because when a player wants to leave, there is no point in keeping him at the club,” Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside column on Substack.
“Mane asked repeatedly and with conviction to try a new experience, so Liverpool in my opinion have done well to accept and it will take time to start a new era without a star like Sadio.
“Changing his mind was impossible, after the final in Paris, Mane was clear with the club: he only wanted to join Bayern Munich.”
Luckily for Liverpool, they already had Luis Diaz after signing him from Porto back in January, while Darwin Nunez ended up joining from Benfica this summer.
In theory, Klopp’s attack still looks very strong, but it’s been a poor start to the season and they’d surely be doing better if they still had Mane up front.
The 30-year-old has also started well at Bayern this season, scoring five goals in his first seven games for his new club.