WHY BAYERN MUNICH ARE LOW BALLING FOR SADIO MANÉ

The ever reliable Paul Joyce broke news of Liverpool rejecting Bayern Munich’s opening bid for Sadio Mané. The bid was for an initial £21million and a further £4million in potential add-ons tied to Champions League success amongst others.

It certainly fits with reports by Bild that the Bavarians were putting together a £25million (€30million) bid. Compared to some of the transfer fees paid in recent times, this is relative peanuts for a player of Mané’s calibre. Why are Bayern low-balling then?

Firstly, as we are all aware, Sadio’s existing deal expires in 2023. This means Liverpool will lose him for free if they don’t agree to a sale this summer (with a new deal for the forward being unlikely at this stage). With Salah and Firmino all leaving for free in 2023 as it stands, the club will be keen to avoid an unwanted hat trick.

Secondly, Sadio, who last night became the Senegalese men’s national team all time topscorer, turned 30 two months ago. This is therefore the last big contract of his career and he will offer Bayern little to no resale value. This unfortunately drives down any potential transfer fee.

Another reason for Bayern’s surprisingly low offer is a transfer that took place two summers ago. That deal is eerily similar to this one, and that’s the deal that brought the silky Thiago Alcantara to Merseyside.

The Spaniard was 29 at the time and like Sadio, had just a year left on his contract. He was at the very top of his game having been named Man of the Match in the 2020 Champions League final (his final outing for Bayern).

That Liverpool were able to secure the services of a world class player coming off the back of his best ever season, for a measly £20million initial outlay (rising to £25million with add-ons) was rightly seen as a hell of a coup.

The roles are reversed now and the Bavarians are hoping to capitalise on the goodwill they built with Liverpool when agreeing to that deal (and the stipulation that the fee would be paid in yearly £5million installments).

The final reason why Bayern believe they can secure Mané for a cut price fee is perhaps the most important reason of all. It seems clear the player has made his mind up to leave England and has set his heart on a switch to Germany.

This rules out the potential for a bidding war which would have driven up the transfer fee. Real Madrid have been linked with the player in the past, and after missing out on Mbappe could have renewed their interest.

As it stands, Bayern are in the driving seat. The Reds could play hardball but FSG president, Mike Gordon and new Sporting Director Julian Ward will be wary of pricing Sadio out of a move.

The last thing they want is to leave a disgruntled player for Jürgen Klopp to manage. The gaffer prides himself on a dressing room that pulls together in the same direction. He doesn’t stand in his players’ way when they want out.

Sadio is a bona fide Liverpool legend and will have to be treated as such. It would be a shame to see him have to try and force a move away because the club priced him out of one. A respectful departure is the best outcome for all parties.

With the first bid rejected, Hasan Salihamidžić (the sporting director of Bayern Munich) will have to return with an improved bid to get the deal over the line. Some reports suggest Liverpool’s asking price is £40million(€45million).

A compromise is sure to be found somewhere between the rejected bid and the asking price. Anywhere between £30-35million. It still represents a low fee for a player who was being tipped to contend for the Ballon d’Or just three weeks ago.

There’s not much the club’s heirarchy can do however when the player is entering the last year of his deal and apparently has his heart set on one club (and that club did us a solid in our last dealing). Whatever happens, we wish Sadio the very best.