Liverpool star forward Sadio Mane is close to leaving the club and joining Bundesliga side Bayern Munich this summer. It represents a huge blow for The Reds off the back of their disappointing Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
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What's the story?
According to French outlet L'Equipe, Mane is close to agreeing on a three-year deal with the German side which could see Liverpool lose out massively and only make €30m (£25.5m).
In a recent interview with Sky Sports the Senegalese international said he would reveal his future after the Champions League final, so with that now over, it's only a matter of time before we find out where he will be playing next season, but it's not looking good for fans of the Premier League club at the moment.
Klopp will be gutted
Ever since his arrival on Merseyside, Mane has been "sensational" and a key part of Jurgen Klopp's rebuild that has turned Liverpool into one of the best sides in Europe.
He's now 30-years-old, and with a year left on his contract, the club were going to have to start planning for life without him sooner rather than later. The signing of Luis Diaz in January will help, and Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino can easily slot in, but he will still be a huge loss.
Mane has made 51 appearances and been directly involved in 28 goals this season. He's transformed into a poacher with Liverpool arguably more reliant on his goals this season.
This is proven by him ranking in the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area this season, when compared to other in his position playing in Europe's top five leagues.
His contribution going forward will be hard to replace, and if Liverpool don't, they may fall short again next season too.
What's more gutting for Klopp and the supporters is the small fee that they are likely to receive should he depart. £25m for a player of his quality is a small amount and doesn't give them much to invest in a replacement.
With Divock Origi also set to leave when his contract expires, Liverpool are now facing a shortage of bodies going forward and may need to re-think their summer transfer plans.
Whilst this will be a huge blow for The Reds, we expect Klopp to turn things around and for the club to still be competing for both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
It just looks like they will have to do it without Mane now.
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