Mane agent drops Messi, Liverpool transfer bombshell; reveals why move to Bayern alternative fell through
The PR agent of Sadio Mane revealed what scuppered the forward’s move to PSG, and dropped a revelation about Lionel Messi attempting to engineer a transfer between Barcelona and Liverpool.
The Senegalese forward, 30, concluded his Liverpool career at the six-year mark last week. Mane completed a move to Bayern Munich worth an initial £27.4m that could rise to £35m.
His exit has split opinion among those in the media, with many pundits shocked Liverpool have let such an elite and reliable player go.
However, he may not be the only major name to depart Jurgen Klopp’s attacking ranks. Indeed, Mohamed Salah is no closer to agreeing a contract renewal and the latest from Spain suggested the Reds are now open to selling this summer.
Mane represents a real coup for Bayern Munich. The German giants are generally unable to compete financially in the market with the English and Spanish sides.
However, according to Mane’s PR agent, Bacary Cisse, the winger could very easily have joined PSG.
Explaining why a move failed to materialise despite talks taking place, Cisse told RMC Sport’s After Foot show: “Yes, PSG did indeed ‘attack’ Sadio.
“Leonardo (PSG’s recently-fired sporting director) had several contacts with [Mane’s] German agent. They saw each other. They discussed the ins and outs of a possible transfer of Sadio at PSG, but it ended there.
“Everyone knows that Leonardo was on an ejection seat, we had to wait.”
Messi tried to bring Mane to Barcelona
On top of the aborted PSG move, Cisse also revealed Lionel Messi had attempted to engineer a Sadio Mane move to Barcelona around the time the Argentine was poised to leave in 2021.
Seemingly, Messi believed Mane was of the calibre to make a big impact at the Camp Nou.
“Last year it could have also happened with FC Barcelona,” continued Cisse.
“It was Lionel Messi who imposed Sadio Mané in the deal when it was a question of him extending to Barça.
“He had given two names: Sadio Mané and an Argentinian central defender.”
Sadio Mane row heats up
The next step in the evolution of Liverpool’s forward line is Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan will play centrally, allowing Luis Diaz to make the left wing role his own.
There is no doubt Mane would still have been a major contributor over the coming years if he had penned fresh terms at Anfield. However, his move to the Bundesliga has sparked controversy among the media.
talkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders claimed Mane will “coast” in Bavaria given the relatively weaker level of competition. Bayern have won 10 domestic titles in a row, something that does not reflect positively on the Bundesliga’s competitiveness.
However, Borussia Dortmund CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, has leapt to Bayern’s defence, slamming Saunders as an “arrogant idiot”.
“There are always some arrogant idiots like this one,” Watzke told Bild in response to Saunders’ comments.
“As a member of the board of Europe’s club association ECA, I know that German football still has a good reputation. The English didn’t win any of the three European Cup titles in the past season!”
Mane has never shown anything but 100 percent commitment throughout his football career. That is unlikely to change at Bayern, and that may be bad news for the rest of the German league.
