Mane departs Anfield having made 269 appearances and scored 120 goals in all competitions since signing from Southampton in 2016; Bayern Munich will pay an initial £27.5m for Senegal forward with £7.5m in add-ons; Mane signs three-year contract with German champions
Thursday 23 June 2022 12:28, UK
Bayern Munich have completed the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool in a deal worth up to £35m.
The 30-year-old has signed a contract with the German champions until 2025.
Bayern will pay Liverpool an initial £27.5m with a further £5m based on appearances, and will pay another £2.5m based on individual and team achievements.
The deal eclipses what Liverpool paid for Mane - £31m plus £2.5m in add-ons - with Southampton not getting any additional money.
Mane had just one year remaining on his contract at Anfield and departs following the club-record signing of Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez from Benfica.
He departs Merseyside having made 269 appearances in all competitions since joining from Southampton in 2016, during which he scored 120 goals and registered 48 assists.
In his six years at Anfield, he won the Premier League, the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Sadio Mane has revealed he had "no doubts" about leaving Liverpool to join Bayern, having followed the club during his time at Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.
He said: "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!"
In a separate farewell interview with Liverpool, Mane explained it was important for him to leave the club on good terms, saying: "I sent a long text to say goodbye to everybody, which is normal. They were sad, as I was, but it is part of life. We just have to accept it.
"That was the plan from the beginning - to leave Liverpool in a very good way. It was fantastic in the club, in the dressing room.
"I am friendly with everybody, the coaching staff and even the kitchen staff, the ladies in the kitchen! So, for me leaving in a good way is so, so important - and [for] the fans as well."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool's fans to "respect" Mane's move to Germany and has labelled the forward one of the club's "greatest ever players".
The 55-year-old told Liverpoolfc.com: "It's a big moment. There is no point in anyone trying to pretend otherwise.
"One of Liverpool's greatest ever players is leaving and we must acknowledge how significant this is.
"He leaves with our gratitude and our love. He leaves with his status among the greats guaranteed. And, yes, he leaves in a moment where he is one of the best players in world football.
"But we must not dwell on what we now lose, instead celebrate what we were privileged to have.
"The goals he scored, the trophies he won; a legend, for sure, but also a modern-day Liverpool icon.
"I respect completely his decision and I'm sure our supporters do also. If you love LFC, you have to love Sadio - non-negotiable. It is possible to do this while accepting our loss is Bayern's gain.
"We wish him nothing but success in every match he plays in, unless, of course, it's against us. His star will continue to rise, I have no doubts."
Sky Sports News senior reporter Melissa Reddy:
"Bayern Munich get their main Mane. He very quickly became their priority target once they realised he was spurning Liverpool's attempts at offering him a new contract and that he actually did want a fresh challenge.
"They made a massive play for him with both the sporting director and technical director holding a four-hour meeting with Mane after hearing from Julian Nagelsmann that he was determined to get the player.
"They spelt out how he was going to fit in tactically and technically, how they would build a squad with him as the focal point. Apart from all the footballing elements, they showed him what it means to represent Bayern Munich, the relationship with the fans and the experience of parades around the city, giving him a flavour of the emotional connection the players have with the fans.
"Liverpool are now in this period of evolution with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez but the front three of Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah really set Liverpool up for the success they have had. The players they have now brought in have a template to work off and can come in and settle because of the functionality and the structure that front three have implemented."
Former Liverpool midfielder John Barnes told Sky Sports News:
"This is modern football - players come and go. The only thing clubs can demand from their players is that they give 100 per cent commitment while they're on their books and that's what Sadio Mane did.
"It was the same with Gini Wijnaldum last summer. It's sad to see him going, but Mane decided he needed a new challenge. Financially, it's a better move for him also but you can't complain about what he's done as while he was here he was absolutely fantastic.
"It'll be disappointing to see him leave as the club did all they could to keep him but they couldn't be held to ransom over paying him what he wanted.
"Liverpool have already brought in Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, so what bringing in Darwin Nunez should change is it will give Liverpool more a threat within the penalty box.
"We're a very good team on the counter-attack with space in behind, but every now and then when teams defend deep and in numbers, we've not had that big presence in the box which is what Nunez will give us.
"It will give us a real orthodox presence to get on the end of crosses in addition to what we already have. Players do need time to bed in, but the majority of Jurgen Klopp's signings have hit the ground running."
Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O'Connor:
Liverpool will look to strengthen their forward line this season. The fact they even spoke to Kylian Mbappe shows how intent they are to add further quality up top.
They have already secured the signature of Darwin Nunez, but it makes sense with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino entering the final year of their contracts. The departure of Mane, who also had one year left on his deal, and Divock Origi having already decided to go, makes reinforcements in that area a priority.
With Fabio Carvalho due to officially start his Liverpool career on July 1, any further overhaul in midfield could depend on the futures of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino. Oxlade-Chamberlain made 29 appearances in a 63-game season and hasn't played since the FA Cup win over Forest in March, while Minamino made just 24 appearances and both could look for more regular first-team opportunities. Oxlade-Chamberlain is another player with just one year left on his contract.
Strengthening the back-line does not appear to be a priority with Ibrahima Konate offering another option to Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk while Joe Gomez is able to cover right-back and centre-back.
