Didi Hamann offers opinion on reports linking Sadio Mane with Liverpool exit

Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann has given his opinion on the future of Sadio Mane amid rumors of the player moving to Bayern Munich.

The Reds have already rejected an offer of £25 million for their star attacker from Bayern Munich, as per Eurosport. It has been reported that the Reds believe that Bayern's opening offer was too little for a player of Mane's caliber.

Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Mane has made up his mind about leaving the Merseyside club this summer.

Didi Hamann, who played for both Bayern Munich and Liverpool during his illustrious career, has opened up about the speculation on Sadio Mane's future. He has insisted that it is a matter of when and not if the Senegalese international joins Bayern Munich this summer.

The former German midfielder has claimed that Bayern Munich are likely to let Robert Lewandowski move to Barcelona and sign Mane as his replacement.

Hamann told talkSPORT, as quoted by The Liverpool Echo:

“Yeah, what I hear is that he wants to come to Munich. He's made it pretty clear that he thinks his time in Liverpool is up and he wants to come and now it's a matter of how much Liverpool will want for him."

“Obviously, Robert Lewandowski wants to join Barcelona. He only has a year left on his contract, so I think Bayern Munich will want to get both deals done in the next few days or next few weeks. But I think it's very likely that he plays his football here next year.”

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Losing Sadio Mane will be a major blow to Liverpool

The chances of the Reds managing to retain Sadio Mane look slim and losing him will obviously be a massive blow to Jurgen Klopp. Mane has been a key player in Klopp's project since his arrival from Southampton in 2016.

The likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk get the limelight more often than not. However, Mane's contributions to what the Reds have achieved under Klopp cannot be underestimated.

The Africa Cup of Nations winner has played a total of 269 games for the Merseyside outfit, contributing 120 goals and 48 assists.

The Senegalese international has not only been a top-class attacker for the Reds but has also been a selfless soldier, always putting the team first. Mane had to switch to the left flank after Salah's arrival. He has once again taken up a new number nine role following Luis Diaz's arrival at Anfield.