‘I will answer after the Champions League: Stay or not’: Sadio Mane sets off alarm bells at Liverpool as he vows to announce his future after Saturday’s final – but Mohamed Salah ISN’T leaving… for now
- Sadio Mane raised question marks at Liverpool after a statement on his future
- The forward said he would announce his future after the Champions League final
- Mane will likely start for the Reds against Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday night
- However, team-mate Mohamed Salah revealed he will be staying for next season
Sadio Mane has raised question marks at Liverpool by claiming he will reveal his future plans after the Champions League final this weekend.
The Reds face Real Madrid in the European showpiece in Paris on Saturday night in a repeat of the 2018 final.
And Mane, who has been linked with a move away, set off alarm bells at Anfield as he vowed to announce his future following the game.
Team-mate Mohamed Salah, however, stated he will definitely be there next year – in contrast to the Senegalese forward, who is only looking ahead as far as Saturday’s final.
He said: ‘For sure it will be special to win it, and make it seven (European titles for the club). And this question (my future) I will answer after the Champions League. Stay or not – I’ll answer after the Champions League’.
And the 30-year-old insisted it would not be a revenge mission for him personally, after Salah’s claims he wanted to put right the agony of the 2018 match, which saw the Egyptian go off injured after a poor tackle from Real’s Sergio Ramos.
Sadio Mane revealed he will announce his Liverpool future after the Champions League final
Team-mate Mohamed Salah (pictured), however, said he will definitely be at Anfield next year
He added: ‘For me, it’s not revenge, for sure it’s not revenge. Four years in between, a lot of things have changed – the way we deal with games, experience, we have more quality in the team, so it’s an exciting game.
‘We all forgot about what happened in 2018. For sure Real Madrid were the better team and fully deserved to win the final, and congratulations, but it’s going to be a different game.
‘There’s no pressure, nothing, at all. Just to enjoy. It’s a dream moment for us so let’s enjoy it without making pressure for ourselves because it doesn’t help… everybody is fully confident, which is amazing.’
Mane is entering the final year of his contract at Anfield and has been linked with the exit, with Roberto Firmino also said to be in a similar predicament in regards to his contract.
The uncertainty over Mane’s future will have likely set alarm bells ringing in the Liverpool camp
The Reds are preparing for the European showpiece against Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday
It was revealed in May that Bayern had emerged as a shock contender to sign Mane this summer after the player’s agent reportedly held talks with the German club’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic over a potential summer move.
However, according to German news outlet SportBild, it is PSG that are now frontrunners to land Mane after offering him a big-money contract to join them at the end of the season.
PSG are set to lose talisman Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid this summer and will be looking to fill the void left by the Frenchman.
The report from SportBild also claims PSG’s offer and strong interest in signing him is the reason why Mane is stalling over signing a new Liverpool deal, which is currently believed to be worth around £200,000-a-week.
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly leading the race to sign 30-year-old Mane from Liverpool
A move away for Mane would come as a huge blow to Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool team
While he continues to be linked away from Liverpool, Mane told reporters after scoring the winner against Aston Villa that he’s ‘honestly very happy’ at the Merseyside club.
He said: ‘Yeah, I am happy here, I think when we win trophies I am happier! But I think I am trying to enjoy every moment, trying to assist my team mates and I think the boys make it a lot easier for me.
‘I am honestly very happy. I am just trying to enjoy every moment and assist my team-mates. Without my team-mates I’m nothing.’
Manager Jurgen Klopp said after the match: ‘He is a machine, I told him after the game. Massive player! The mix of technique, desire and physicality… top goal, he’s a fantastic world-class player.’
