Sadio Mane has opened up about his short stint at Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and is preparing to complete his £34m move to Saudi Pro-League club Al-Nassr.
Mane revealed that it hurts him to leave Bayern Munich as the ex-Liverpool striker is set to make a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.
Mane, 31, will join Al-Nassr after a year at Bayern following his departure from Liverpool last summer. The Senegal international has arrived in Dubai to undergo the first part of his medical before agreeing a deal worth around £34million – more than what the German side paid Jurgen Klopp’s Reds 12 months ago.
He is expected to sign a four-year contract with Saudi side and join Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo Brozovic at Al-Nassr. However, Mane regrets his move to Bayern and admitted he was hoping for a bigger impact at the Allianz Arena.
Mane told Sky Sports: “It pains me to say goodbye to FC Bayern. I would have liked a different ending. I know I could have helped the team this season. I wanted to prove that to everyone. this season. Nevertheless, I only wish the club and the fans the best for the future.”
The former Southampton star scored 12 goals in his first season at Bayern as Bayern struggled in Europe and only won the Bundesliga title on the final day. The striker’s season has been marred by a clash with team-mate Leroy Sane, which earned him a fine and internal ban, although he insists the matter is behind him.
“Things like that can happen. It happened,” Mane said of the Sane collision. “We managed to solve this little problem. Sometimes it’s good to solve problems, but maybe not in this way. It’s behind us now. We will try to fight together to help the club achieve its goals next season.”
As for Bayern, they hope to replace Mane and sign Harry Kane before the Tottenham deadline. Bayern have held further talks with Spurs over a deal for the 30-year-old frontman, although the two clubs appear to be at a £25m difference in value.
Tottenham want £100m for their top scorer after the latter netted 30 Premier League goals last season. As Bayern consider a deal for Kane, it is also revealed that they faces some serious competition. It has been suggested that PSG are moving towards a deal for the striker and would be ready to outbid any club in Europe for him.
Kane is not thought to be interested in moving to the French capital, but in any case it seems that his future could lie outside of Tottenham. Club owner Joe Lewis has already given Levy an ultimatum to sell the academy graduate this summer or commit him to a new contract, rather than risk losing him for free next summer.
