Barcelona plot an audacious bid for Senegalese star Mane should Messi leave

Barcelona could turn to Liverpool star Sadio Mane should Lionel Messi leave the club with the Senegalese reportedly ‘willing’ to move to the Nou Camp this summer, but they’d have to meet the attacker’s huge £107m price tag.

Messi sent shockwaves through world football earlier this week after handing in a transfer request via fax as the Argentine looks to trigger a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free.

The Catalonians have referred the matter to their lawyers and would look to recoup a huge fee for the 33-year-old should he leave, with Manchester City, PSG and Inter Milan interested in the star.

If Messi ends his near two-decade stay at the Nou Camp, a domino effect could ensue on the transfer market with the LaLiga club looking to replace their talisman, who has scored 634 goals in 731 games for Barca.

And according to TMW via Sport, Liverpool’s Mane is reportedly willing to replace Messi at Barcelona this summer, should the Argentine force his way out.

Mane is one of Jurgen Klopp’s star players and notched 22 goals in 47 games in 2019-20, helping guide the Anfield club to their first league title in 30 years.

The 28-year-old has been a target of Real Madrid, but Los Blancos were unable to finalise a move with Liverpool determined to keep hold of him. Spanish publication Sport claims that the Premier League club would demand no less than £108m for their attacker.

Mane has played under Koeman before when the pair were at Southampton, and has reportedly refused to put pen to paper on a new deal that has been on the table for the last nine months.

The Senegalese’s current deal expires in 2023, although Anfield chiefs fear that Mane’s refusal to sign extended terms may mean that he will be on his way out of the club.

The latest contract offer is believed to be around £220,000-per-week, which is a similar amount to that earned by Virgil van Dijk. But at 28, Mane will be aware that his next deal may well be his last big payday.

Courtesy- Daily Mail