Liverpool looks set to complete their big money move for Southampton attacker Sadio Mane with a number of respected news agencies reporting late last evening that the Reds have agreed on a fee with Southampton for his services.
While concrete details remain dodgy at best and quotes from either side have yet to be procured, the speedy Senegalese wide-man is rumoured to be having a medical at Liverpool’s Melwood training facility as early as Monday morning with the Anfield outfit keen to have him put pen to paper well before their extensive pre-season preparations get underway. After initial reports emerged about the Merseysiders interest in Mane, various media outlets began reporting that the Saints would hold out for a fee closer to £40mil for him, but it sounds like a compromise has been reached with the BBC saying that the final price will be “in excess” of the £30mil originally on offer.
Keen to bolster his attacking options during the summer, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had already identified the 24-year old as a prime target — though it’s believed he was a firm second to Bayern Munich man Mario Gotze. While the German World Cup winner still looks set to leave the Allianz Arena in the coming weeks, the signing of Mane all but assures his final destination will not be Anfield.
In the end, that might be quite alright as we already know the Senegalese psuedo-striker can produce on the big stage while Gotze’s adaptability to the Premier League remains a total intangible. While taking the “devil you know” attitude has never been a sure thing — read: Christian Benteke, Andy Carroll — in Mane, it’s hard to see him not fitting in to Klopp’s all action, high pressing style of play considering it’s a game he already played on the South Coast.
More on this when there’s pictures of him leaning on various things…
