Sadio Mane has departed Liverpool and joined Bayern Munich in a €41 million (£35m/$43m) move.
The 30-year-old informed the Reds of his desire to leave after their Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid in May, and with Mane having just one year left on his contract, the Reds have allowed him to depart now rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer of 2023.
Mane’s exit brings to a close an immensely successful spell for the Senegal international in English football, with his time at Liverpool seeing him return 120 goals in 269 appearances.
Liverpool will receive a €32m (£27m/$34m) fixed fee for Mane, with a further €6m (£5m/$6m) possible based on appearances, along with another €3m depending on individual and team achievements.
The transfer fee means Liverpool have sold the winger for more than the £33.5m (€39m/$40m) they paid to sign him from Southampton in 2016 – but for Bayern, it marks a key bit of business in the transfer window.
Willkommen in München, Sadio! 🙌🎬 #ServusMané #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/sTuzTn3Sh9
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) June 22, 2022
Mane has signed three-year contract at Bayern, tying him to the Bundesliga champions until the summer of 2025.
Reports claim he is set to earn a salary of around €15m-a-year, making him one of the highest earners at the Allianz Arena.
Mane told his new club’s website: “I’m very happy to finally be with FC Bayern in Munich. We had a lot of talks and I felt the great interest of this big club from the start. So there was no doubt in my mind right from the start: this is the right time for this challenge.
“I want to achieve a lot with this club, also internationally. During my time in Salzburg I followed many FC Bayern games – I like this club very much!”
It didn’t take Liverpool fans long to fall in love with Mane, but it might take them a while to get over his exit.
Sadio Mané scoring this on his debut away to Arsenal >>>>>>>>>>>>
What a start to his Liverpool career, and he only got betterpic.twitter.com/76LREcLTyV
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) June 17, 2022
He leaves as an Anfield legend, for sure. He was the first of Jurgen Klopp’s true great signings on Merseyside, the catalyst for the Reds’ rise from also-rans to real, genuine contenders.
The perfect blend of technique, physicality and brains, he has thrived in three different positions under Klopp: player of the year on the right, European and Premier League champion on the left and, in 2022, as a free-scoring, roaming No 9.
