New reports suggest that Sadio Mane’s time at Bayern Munich may be coming to an end after just one season.
Despite offering him a three-year deal in August 2022, the club is reportedly open to selling the 30-year-old former Liverpool player in the summer.
Mane has struggled for game time since his £28 million move and even with the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, his future at the Allianz Arena looks uncertain.
NaijNaira has identified five reasons why Bayern may be willing to let go of the superstar so early, including his lack of playing time and potential for a Premier League return.
1. Underwhelming numbers
When Bayern Munich brought in Sadio Mane in the summer, there was a general feeling the talented forward was brought in to replace Robert Lewandowski.
To fill in Lewandowski’s shoes at Bayern was always going to be a huge ask, especially because the Poland international averaged 0.94 goals per league game, as per Transfermkt.
Bayern Munich took up Sadio Mane’s services with the Senegalese’s impressive stats for Liverpool in mind.
As a Red, Mane reached the peak of his talents and managed an impressive 90 goals and 36 assists during his six-year stint at Anfield.
But at Bayern, he has been unable to replicate the same form in his debut season in the Bundesliga, managing just 12 goals and six assists across all competitions.
2. Leroy Sane fight
In April, Mane was involved in an altercation with teammate Leroy Sane, and multiple reports claim Sane was punched in the aftermath of the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League.
Although the pair seems to have buried the hatchet, things have not been the same for Mane in the Bayern dressing room since, and rumours of his impending exit from the Allianz Arena have been swiriling.
3. Age factor
The fact that Mane is a 31-year old forward who is seemingly past his prime could be a factor in the Bundesliga giants’ willingness to allow him to leave after just one season.
With age comes proneness to injury and Mane is no exception as he has managed to feature just 11 times in the league since his return from a lengthy layoff in February. In that time, he has scored just once.
Despite initially signing a three-year deal that would have seen him stay with Bayern until 2025, it may not come as a surprise that Bayern are willing to sell the forward early enough before his deal runs down.
4. Nagelsmann sacking/Tuchel’s arrival
This is an interesting factor that needs to be dissected for perspective.
In March 2023, The Mirror reported that Sadio Mane had a bitter clash with former manager Julian Nagelsmann as he was discontent with only being given 13 minutes of game time against Paris Saint Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Days later and Nagelsmann would be sacked to be replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who has also not been playing the former Liverpool man as often; an indication that Mane might not have a future at the Allianz Arena.
5. Bayern exploring other attacking options for the summer
One of the more obvious reasons why Bayern might have Mane on the club’s chopping board is the need for a mass clear out to make room for newer, younger signings.
Herbert Hainer, a member of Bayern’s board, confirmed the club would move in for a number 9 in the summer recently, saying:
“It was obvious we didn’t have a #9 who would change things up front. You can assume that we’ll strengthen our squad to be able to compete in the league and Champions League”
Tottenham’s Harry Kane, Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Frankfurt’s Kolo Muani have all been linked with the German giants.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
