Liverpool FC to chase £25m-rated Sadio Mane following Gotze blow

Liverpool are set to make a £25 million bid for Southampton playmaker Sadio Mane after Mario Gotze claimed that he wants to stay at Bayern Munich.

Mane has been one of the best players for Southampton ever since his transfer to the club a couple of years back from Red Bull Salzburg for £11.8 million.

The Saints’ attacker has been an influential player this season, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists to help them finish two places (sixth) above English giants Liverpool. The 24-year-old’s two goals against Liverpool earlier this year were crucial for Southampton to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win.

These great performances have convinced Reds manager Jurgen Klopp that Mane could be a good acquisition for Liverpool, according to a report in the Daily Express.

Liverpool have raided Southampton in the past, and if Mane does sign for the Merseyside club, he will be the fifth Southampton player to take a transfer to Anfield. Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne and Rickie Lambert are the other four players to have made the switch.

The Reds were originally said to be interested in signing Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Gotze, who had played under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.

Gotze was frustrated at being left on the bench by Pep Guardiola, and was said to have been looking for a move to Liverpool. However, the fact that Carlo Ancelotti is set to take over at the Bavarian club seems to have changed the German World Cup winner’s mind as he has now pledged his loyalty to Bayern.

Lack of European football hurting Liverpool’s transfer preparations?

One big factor in both the Mane and the Gotze transfer saga is that Liverpool cannot offer either of them European football next season. The Reds have missed out on qualifying for the Europa League by finishing eighth in the Premier League. They had a chance to make it to next season’s Champions League had they won the Europa League final against Sevilla last week. However, a 3-1 loss has condemned the Reds to a season without European football.

This could be a huge factor that might have changed Gotze’s mind about a transfer to Liverpool in the summer, despite the fact that he has just one year left on his contract. In fact, the lack of European football could deter Mane from making the move to Liverpool as well, because Southampton are set to play in next season’s Europa League.