Lionel Messi wanted Sadio Mane to leave Liverpool and accompany him at Barcelona: Reports

Lionel Messi wanted Sadio Mane to leave Liverpool and accompany him at Barcelona: Reports

Sadio Mane and Lionel Messi

The transfer of Senegal international Sadio Mane from Liverpool to Bayern Munich has already been finalized, but things may have gone quite differently for the player if Lionel Messi or Paris Saint-Germain had their way.

Mane, 30, has signed a three-year contract with Bayern from Liverpool, who may collect up to £35.1 million for the attacker. It is now official that PSG was also considering Mane for a summer transfer.

However, the player’s agent, Bacary Cisse, claims that a prospective deal for Mane was derailed by the uncertainty surrounding the future of ex-PSG sporting director Leonardo, who was fired in May.

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“Indeed, PSG ‘attacked’ Sadio. Leonardo and the German agent had a number of interactions”, Cisse spoke with RMC Sport in France.

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Lionel Messi and Sadio Mane in the same team?

Sadio Mane puts Liverpool up
Sadio Mane for Liverpool

“They met together, and talked about the specifics of Sadio’s potential transfer to PSG, but that was the end of it. Leonardo was in an ejection seat, as everyone knows; we had to wait.”

Lionel Messi, who was then playing for Barcelona, allegedly wanted to team up with Mane in 2021, according to Cisse. According to Cisse, Messi made getting the great player from Senegal a must for him to stay at the Nou Camp.

However, the Catalan club didn’t make a formal bid for Mane, and Messi later left Barcelona on a free transfer to join PSG.

Cisse said, “It may have occurred with FC Barcelona last year. When it came to choosing whether to extend to Barca, it was Lionel Messi who forced Sadio Mane into the contract. Sadio Mane and an Argentinian center-back were the two names he provided.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ZuLj4oWc4

Barcelona may benefit from Mane’s transfer to Bayern Munich since they are negotiating to get Robert Lewandowski from the German champs.

The Polish international, whose contract at the Allianz Arena has one year left, is eager to transfer to the Nou Camp. According to reports, Bayern Munich is sticking out for their £43 million valuation of the 33-year-old striker despite Barcelona’s original offer of £30 million-plus about £4 million in add-ons.

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