Liverpool's sale of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich branded 'the worst bit of business ever seen in football' Josh Lawless

 Liverpool's sale of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich branded 'the worst bit of business ever seen in football'

Paul Merson believes Liverpool's sale of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich is "the worst bit of business" he has ever seen in football.

The Senegalese forward ended a glorious six-year stint at Liverpool in the summer, joining Bayern Munich in a £35 million switch and penning a three-year deal.

Mane has already been ripping it up in the Bundesliga with three goals in as many games, including a brace in the 7-0 hiding inflicted on VFL Bochum last weekend.

Meanwhile, with Mane no longer around, Liverpool failed to record a victory in their opening three fixtures.

The former Southampton man scored 120 goals for the club and was integral in their Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup triumphs under Jurgen Klopp.

He wanted to move on to a new challenge but former Arsenal legend Merson has slammed the decision to offload him.

No one’s got started yet for Liverpool, no one’s playing well,” Merson said on Sky Sports on Saturday.

“With Sadio Mane, I thought it was the worst bit of business I’ve ever seen in football for a long, long time. It was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.

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“£30m for a big-game player. If I’m the owner of the club, I want to win the league and you keep Mane to give yourself the best chance of that.

Let him go for free next summer, he’s done enough and it’s £30m. I think that’s come back to bite them.

“They haven’t got started but I wouldn’t be worried yet. I’d be amazed if they finished outside the top four.”

Merson has already gone on record to say Liverpool getting rid of Mane is a major mistake, while past comments from Jamie Carragher on the Africa Cup of Nations winner have gone viral after Liverpool's slow start.

Though Liverpool still have the likes of Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez in their ranks, Mane's contributions cannot be be looked past.

Bayern Munich's Offer For Liverpool's Sadio Mane Revealed

Sadio Mane has had a superb trophy-laden season, winning the FA Cup and League Cup with Liverpool and the AFCON with Senegal. He has also been nominated for the PFA Mens Player of the Year and is in contention for the African Player of the Year after winning player of the tournament in the African Cup of Nations. 

But is is now been widely reported that he is keen to leave Anfield and go again with a different club. Bayern Munich, who are in the market for a new forward this summer due to Robert Lewandowski’s imminent departure, are said to be keen to sign him, and according to Sky Sports Germany, have now made an offer.

Bayern are offering a three-year contract to Mane, with personal terms not looking to be an issue. Despite only having one year on his current contract, Bayern are said to be willing to spend €30m with further potential add-ons of €5-10m.

It is no surprise Bayern Munich are looking to the Senegalese forward, who has provided 23 goals and 5 assists this season, 5 of those goals coming in the Champions League. Mane has also won the Premier League, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup since joining Liverpool in 2016.

Mane would bring a unique option to the Bundesliga champions, with his ability to play through the middle and on the wing. Nagelsmann has previously utilised players with similar ability as a 9-and-a-half, which would allow Mane to drop back to secure the ball - and drive the attack forward. 

Liverpool have already been linked with attacking replacements such as Benfica’s Darwin Nunez.

Bayern initially offered £21 million with an additional £4 million in add-ons, while their follow-up bid was worth in the region of £23.5 million with an additional £6.5 million in add-ons.

According to German publication Bild, the Bundesliga champions are now set to launch a third approach for Mane, which would be worth around £35 million.

However, Liverpool’s assistant sporting director Julian Ward has warned his Bayern counterpart Hasan Salihamidzic not to travel to the North West of England for talks over the deal if he is not to present a more suitable package, which would include an offer closer to £40 million.

Bild claim that the new offer Salihamidzic is proposing would include an initial £30.15 million, with an additional £4.31 million in bonuses. Although this falls slightly short of Liverpool’s valuation, they may be ready to compromise and there is a feeling this offer could be accepted.

Bayern are supposedly keen on making this a brief negotiation as they look to complete the deal quickly so that they can integrate Mane into pre-season, which starts in a few weeks time.

Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg reports that Mane “still wants to join Bayern” and “only Bayern” and that the Munich club have already offered the 30-year-old a three-year contract, which he’s likely to accept. The Mirror’s David Maddock has mooted a potential £360,000 a week wage being on the table.

Mane has enjoyed a hugely successful spell on Merseyside, scoring 120 times in 269 appearances since arriving from Southampton in 2016 for £34 million.