Liverpool have already lined up a replacement for Sadio Mane if he departs Anfield this summer, according to a report.
The Senegal international's future has been thrown up in the air following the Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid as Bayern Munich look set to launch a bid in the upcoming window. Diario AS claims Mane informed his Liverpool teammates of his intention to leave the club this summer in the Stade de France dressing room on Saturday evening, but the Reds insist the player has not expressed those wishes to the heirarchy.
Bayern are expected to lodge a £25million bid for Mane but it will take a lot more to prize him away from Merseyside as Liverpool have placed a £42.5m price tag on the 30-year-old, according to The Athletic. The Germans will offer Mane a contract until the summer of 2025.
Liverpool are prepared to sell if their demands are met with the likelihood that Mane will walk away next summer as a free agent. But they will not let him go on the cheap as the figures suggested would not be enough to find a suitable replacement. Jurgen Klopp's men feel there is more value in keeping the forward at the club for another year.
But if Liverpool and Mane go their separate ways, it's been claimed the Reds have already sounded out a player to fill the void left by the attacker. Spanish media outlet Sport, as quoted by the Daily Mail, believes that Liverpool are interested in signing Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona on a free transfer. The report states they have 'made contact' with the French international over a potential deal.
The winger's contract at the Nou Camp will expire in the coming weeks with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester United linked with the former Borussia Dortmund man. Barca still retain a slim hope of Dembele agreeing a new deal with the Spanish side but they are not confident he will put pen to paper.
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Another candidate to replace Mane is Christopher Nkunku, who has been linked with an exit from RB Leipzig. And former Man United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich has urged Liverpool to make a move for the winger, hijacking United's pursuit in the process.
Speaking with Sky Sports, the former Australian international said: "I was going to say that's the $64million (£51million) question but it might actually cost a bit more than that. I was thinking about that today and watching from the Champions League, there's the boy from Leipzig I think, Nkunku.
"He was somebody who really stood out for me. I know Leipzig dropped down into the Europa League and were knocked out in the semi-finals by Rangers but he was exceptional and that's what I was thinking about today when I was thinking about if Mane leaves, what to do and that’s the one that came to mind for me."
