Sadio Mane 'Open' to Unlikely Barcelona Move
By Adam Aladay
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane is said to be 'open' to a move to Barcelona this summer, as he is growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of recognition he receives compared to other Reds players.
Mane's consistently impressive displays were key to helping guide the Reds towards their first ever Premier League title in 2019/20. The Senegal international managed 18 goals and nine assists in the league last season, which was the second-highest total of any player at the club.
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The 28-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most important players at Anfield, but Mundo Deportivo now report that Mane is actually open to the idea of departing for Barcelona this summer, a team he has admired for a long time.
As a player who has now established himself as one of the very best in England and having won the Champions League and the Premier League, it is noted that Mane is keen on the idea of a change. Of course, Barça's problems continued to mount all of last season and are a long way from solved. After they were humiliated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League to bring to an end a 2019/20 season that brought no silverware, Lionel Messi informed the club of his desire to leave.
The Catalan club are in a period of transition and there are undoubtedly major risks to making the switch to Camp Nou this summer, but Mane is said to be optimistic about the project with his former boss Ronald Koeman in charge.
It's claimed that the former Southampton man's relationship with Jurgen Klopp is no longer the same. While they are still on good terms, Mane has grown increasingly frustrated by the fact that he isn't given the same recognition as the likes of Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson, despite his often faultless performances.
Mane is aware that this is currently preventing him from really challenging for the top awards. One of the major problems regarding any potential move, however, is that Liverpool won't let one of their star men leave on the cheap. In fact, they will not let him leave for anything less than €120m.
To put it simply, Barcelona cannot afford to pay this kind of money in their current financial situation. Mane is also part of one of the world's most dangerous attacks at Liverpool and although Barcelona may be a club he admires, it is a move that would carry far too many risks at this stage of his career - especially if Messi does leave.
Even if the project under Koeman does appeal to Mane, it would be extremely hard to envisage a scenario where Liverpool allow the forward to depart this summer. Or indeed, a scenario where Barça pay that kind of money.