It remains to be seen as to who the real winner of Sadio Mane's summer departure will be.
The Senegalese star left Liverpool to join Bayern Munich in a package worth £35million, having won every trophy available to him in England as well as on the European stage. For Mane, the timing felt right for a new challenge away from the club.
Although supporters were sad to see the 30-year-old leave Anfield after becoming such an influential figure during his six-year spell, Mane's departure was certainly amicable and did not end on the same sour note as others who have pursued careers away from Merseyside in recent years.
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Gini Wijnaldum serves as the most recent example of a player who opted for a fresh challenge abroad, only to find a matter of months later that his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was not the dream move he had envisaged. Just one year on from joining the French side, the Dutch midfielder was left out of the club's pre-season tour and is reportedly up for sale.
Another player who left the Reds in similar circumstances after running down his contract to sign for a European giant was Emre Can, who was recruited by Juventus in the summer of 2018. During his maiden campaign with the Old Lady, the German made 29 Serie A appearances but things soon took a turn for the worse when Maurizio Sarri was appointed manager ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Left out of the club's Champions League squad for the group stages and limited to only two league starts between August and January, Can spoke out against his situation by telling Kicker: "I'm just an ambitious guy who always wants to compete at the highest level, but I'm also learning from this tough time when things are not going the way I was hoping. I'm not playing games from the start, so I'm not happy, but I will stay strong and keep working on myself."
After failing to work his way into Sarri's plans, the 28-year-old secured a loan to Borussia Dortmund, which later became permanent, in January 2020. Despite signing a four-year deal at Juventus upon his arrival, Can was out of the door two years into his contract.
Philippe Coutinho's failed stint at Barcelona, of course, stands as the ultimate reminder of how the grass isn't always greener on the other side. The Brazilian slowly lost his way in La Liga on the back of his £142million switch, suffering injury setbacks and receiving criticism from his own supporters Now at Aston Villa four years on from his big-money move to Spain, Coutinho has been unable to hit the heights many expected as he now attempts to rebuild his career.
Mane may well hit the ground running and prove to be a success in the Bundesliga, but the warning signs are there for all to see. Leaving Liverpool in years gone by was viewed as essential by individuals looking to compete for the biggest prizes in club football, though there are few better places to be than Anfield at this moment in time.
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