Sadio Mane admits he was ‘hooked’ by Bayern Munich’s interest in signing him

Sadio Mane has revealed he was immediately hooked by Bayern Munich’s interest in signing him this summer as the forward looks set to complete a £35.1million switch.

The Senegalese forward’s move to the Bundesliga giants has become one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer, and the player has been spotted in Bayern gear having completed a medical already. 

Mane has been at Liverpool since 2016, having joined from Premier League rivals Southampton for £37m, and spoke to Bayern Munich ahead of signing a £250,000 per-week deal. 

In his first interview with Bayern, he revealed: ‘When my agent first told me about Bayern’s interest, I was immediately excited. 

‘I saw myself there right away… It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the team is always fighting for every title.  

‘So for me it was a very good idea and the right decision to come here.

‘My agent told me that there were enquiries from other clubs. That’s part of the business. 

‘But I got the feeling right away when Bayern presented their plan to me. I found myself in Bayern’s plan more than anyone else.’

Liverpool were initially reluctant to sell Mane, who has been instrumental in the transformation of Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp.

However in completing an £85m deal for Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez the Reds seem to have brought in a ready-made replacement.

But with one year left on his current deal – a similar position Liverpool find themselves in with talismanic forward Mohamed Salah – they likely understood this would be their final chance to get a sizeable fee for the player. 

Having already rejected two offers including what were considered unrealistic bonuses, Liverpool finally agreed a fee of £27.4m with an additional £5.1m based on appearances and £2.6m based on individual and team achievements. 

After bringing in Diogo Jota two seasons ago, Roberto Firmino was starting to find himself on the sidelines more and more often, and Mane will have been desperate not to meet the same fate. 

And with the prospect of regular football at a side who rarely face any challenge for the Bundesliga title, the appeal of almost certain success seems to have drawn yet another of Europe’s stars to Bavaria.  

Ahead of joining up with his new side, Mane added: ‘I’m not a player who focuses on things like that. I’m here for FC Bayern. And I will do everything to win titles with my team-mates!

‘I’m not a player who focuses on things like [potentially lining up with Robert Lewandowski]. I’m here for FC Bayern. And I will do everything to win titles with my team-mates.’ 

In a six year spell at Liverpool, the Senegalese international scored 120 goals in 269 appearances in all competitions, and won six trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League.