With Robert Lewandowski pushing for a Bayern Munich exit, having reportedly agreed personal terms with Barcelona, the Bavarians look set to be in the market for a high-profile replacement for the prolific Pole this summer.
If he does depart, it looks set to have a knock-on effect at Liverpool with the ECHO understanding that the club expect Bayern to bid for Sadio Mane, following reports the Senegal international will look to leave Anfield this summer. In fact, Sky Germany have even gone as far as to suggest the Bundesliga outfit have tabled a €40m bid for the forward.
As speculation about the 30-year-old’s future continues, club sources have confirmed the Reds won't listen to any offers below £40m, despite Mane now being inside the final 12 months of his contract, and a replacement will need to be sourced before the forward is allowed to leave. Despite Liverpool links with the likes of Darwin Nunez and Martin Terrier, the identity of any potential replacement, for the time-being, remains unclear.
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Mane isn’t the only player on Bayern’s radar though, according to reports, with BBC Sport suggesting the Bavarians are one of a number of clubs monitoring former Red Raheem Sterling ’s situation at Man City. The 27-year-old is no longer a guaranteed starter at the Etihad and, with a year left on his contract, his future is likely to be addressed following the June international break.
City have already signed forwards Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund and Argentine Julian Alvarez from River Plate, while chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has stated the club expects to sign at least two more players this summer. With City reportedly needing to sell at least one forward as a result, Real Madrid and Chelsea are also said to be monitoring Sterling’s situation , while Gabriel Jesus has also been linked with an exit.
The England international reportedly turned down a move to Barcelona last summer but, given Haaland and Alvarez’s arrival could see starting opportunities further limited as he contract ticks down, his time at the Etihad could be about to come to an end.
Should Bayern move for Sterling, it could aid Liverpool’s efforts to retain Mane’s services. However, if the Senegalese does move on, the Reds could do a lot worse than turning to their former winger as a replacement.
Scoring 131 goals in 339 appearances for Man City, the 27-year-old has continued to be prolific for the club even when finding himself out of Pep Guardiola's starting XI. While such a switch could seem unlikely, there is the added allure with Sterling that he would bolster both Liverpool’s homegrown and club-trained quotas, having joined the club from Queens Park Rangers when aged just 15 in February 2010.
The Reds will start to focus on bolstering their home-grown quotas in the next year or two. With captain Jordan Henderson turning 32 later this month and Milner 37 in January, the club are keeping a close eye on who qualifies for that status.
Andy Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will turn 29 on their next birthdays too and there is an awareness of the need to replenish the core of their UK-based squad members, especially considering the future of the latter and the likes of Neco Williams and Nat Phillips could be away from Anfield.
It's partly why players like Kaide Gordon and Bobby Clark have been signed in the last 18 months and Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsey is being pursued. Meanwhile, it's also a big tick in the box for the incoming Fabio Carvalho, despite his Portuguese heritage and status as a Seleccao Under-21 international.
It could also yet prove to be a big factor in any future pursuit of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. And if Sterling was available in a cut-price deal, it could be something the Reds would be wise to consider.
Sterling joined Man City from Liverpool in a £49m deal in controversial circumstances in 2015 which left him unpopular back at Anfield as a result. However, he has since admitted he handled his exit, influenced by former agent Aidy Ward, poorly.
"Sometimes you've got to know what you want,” Sterling told Sky Sports in December 2021. “Your career is only short, you don't really know what's going to happen.
“At times, we make decisions and they might not be the right ones. Sometimes, it turns out for the better. The only thing I will say is the way it [Liverpool exit] went about was the thing I am more disappointed about. But other than that, it's been so far, so good.
"I said at the time, I felt like my ambitions and Liverpool's ambitions at the time weren't really aligned. The way it went about is the only disappointment I have from it.
"I did [have good times at Liverpool], at such a young age with a club that invested a lot in me. It had a big part in my teenage years so they've had a massive role in my life. It's a club I hold really closely, my daughter still lives in Liverpool and I've got a lot of time for the people there.
"When friends or something ask what it's like at Anfield, I always say if you have a game coming up against Manchester United or Man City, it almost felt like the fans and the city gave you an extra superpower, making you feel like you could do things you didn't think you could do, that's how it felt. It's a really special stadium."
Meanwhile, he even went as far as hinting in March 2020 that he wouldn’t rule out a return to his former club in the future.
"Would I ever go back to Liverpool? To be honest with you I love Liverpool,” he admitted in an Instagram Q&A. "Don’t get it twisted, they are always in my heart. It’s a team that has done a lot for me growing up so…"
In reality a Liverpool return from Sterling is unlikely, given the manner of his exit and the fact he plays for the Reds’ closest title-challengers. But if he is available this summer and Jurgen Klopp does need a replacement for Mane, there’s no escaping the fact that there are few Premier League-proven options who could be as good a fit at Anfield.
And either way, wherever Lewandowski, Mane and Sterling end up plying their trade next season, it appears with so many big-name forwards looking to move on this summer, it'll only take one player to blink first for a transfer merry-go-round, which Liverpool look set to be caught up in whether they like it or not, to get underway.
