according to a report from Sky journalist Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool FC have accepted a bid from Bayern Munich for star attacker Sadio Mane, which is said to be less than €40m. It was Bayern’s third bid, rejecting the first two and saying ‘laughable’, with Liverpool insisting on 50 million euros. So why did Liverpool accept this third and final bid?
as reported by fabrizio romano And later reiterated on Sport Bible, the reason for this acceptance is that Mane “asked to leave in a respectful manner.” Reports suggest that Liverpool respect and appreciate Mane for his eight years of service at the club and, in light of this gratitude, have decided to settle on a transfer fee to allow Mane to leave.
The deal closely mirrors a similar deal that happened in 2020, when Thiago Alcantara swapped Bayern for Liverpool after seven years at the club. Bayern were also initially reluctant to let Thiago go, yet lowered the asking price in the final weeks of the window.
They could make the more pessimistic claim that Bayern and Liverpool both slashed their asking prices because clubs were desperate to make money for players in the final year of their contracts. And, honestly, it’s totally possible. But it is also very possible that both clubs really wanted to honor the legendary players and settle for making them happy, with Liverpool eventually returning the favor Bayern owed them in 2020. That’s a very happy way of looking at it.
If you’d like some thoughts on Sadio Mane’s pending arrival in Munich, check out our Weekend Warm-Up Podcast:
