Sadio Mane has been told that a move to Bayern Munich would "ruin" a key part of his footballing career.
Ex- Liverpool striker Dean Saunders has warned the 30-year-old against quitting Anfield, a decision which Mane made late in the season. Now that the Reds have won the race to sign Benfica sensation Darwin Nunez as a replacement for the long term, the Senegal star is expected to sign for Bayern soon, with a medical in Munich reportedly booked for next week.
But Saunders still hopes that Mane will come to his senses and remain on Merseyside, with Liverpool driving a hard bargain and forcing the Bundesliga giants to stump up £35.1 million for his signature. "Nothing against the club, it's a great club, but the league is nowhere near a challenge for Mane," the 75-capped Wales forward declared on talkSPORT.
"He'll get goals. They win 5-0 every week, only one team can win the league. It's not a challenge. He will get in his armchair, light a cigar up, he'll play for Bayern in third gear and he'll coast for two years and ruin the best two years of his life as a footballer. "At the end of his career, if he said to you 'come and look at my trophy cabinet', the German league winners medal will be right at the back."
Saunders, who played in four different countries during his career, continued by lamenting: "I can't believe he's leaving Liverpool, I don't know how it's got to this point. He's 30, I think of all his time at the club, the last six months he's played the best football, he's been unstoppable at times."
Bayern's sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, flew to Liverpool towards the end of the working week to meet with Mane's agent, Bjorn Bezemer, and successfully negotiate a deal with the Reds. Upon landing back home in Bavaria, Salihamidzic was asked by Sky Germany about Mane and his chances of signing, confidently replying: "Yes, he's coming."
Jamie Carragher offered his reaction to the news by tweeting: "My favourite Liverpool player of this era, Sadio Mane finally departs. Low maintenance, high performance and never injured! Trophies & goals galore, a true Liverpool Legend. Thank you Sadio!"
Fellow Anfield icon John Barnes is of a different opinion Mane's legacy, though. "When it comes to Sadio Mane being an all-time Liverpool great like Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish or Steven Gerrard, you have to remember that those players were all at the club for 10-15 years," Barnes explained to BonusCodeBets.
Join the debate! Do you agree with Saunders? Give us your verdict in the comments section.
"It's Sadio's sixth year at Liverpool, and in terms of the success he's had he's been a fantastic servant to Liverpool Football Club, winning the Premier League and Champions League.
"You have to look at Mane like Fernando Torres; where would Torres have been if he had stayed for 10 years? The same as Luis Suarez. You have to be at one club, for a particular length of time to be mentioned in the same light. His impact at the club will leave him rated very highly though."
