Thomas Muller may have hinted Bayern Munich may struggle to sign Sadio Mane from Liverpool this year, as the German feels the top players outside of the Bundesliga are not interested in the league.
Mane starts the last year of his £100k-a-week contract at Anfield this July, and is wanted at the Allianz Arena. That’s according to Sport Bild, who report Der FCB have already found an agreement with the Senegal star over personal terms for a three-year contract as he wants to join.
Bayern have offered Mane a multi-season deal worth more than €20m (£330k-a/w) annually to move to Bavaria. But the Bundesliga champions are only prepared to pay €30m (£26m) to sign the 30-year-old, who Liverpool value at €50m (£43m) despite his contractual situation.
Allianz Arena chiefs could placate the Reds’ higher valuation by offering an additional €10m (£8.5m) in performance-related add-ons. But the German giants hope the Anfield hierarchy are willing to negotiate after selling Thiago to Liverpool for £20m up to £25m after bonuses.
Liverpool have set Mane’s valuation at a high figure despite his contract ending in 2023 after the attacker scored 23 and created five goals this term. Only Mohamed Salah (31) found the net more often for the Reds in all competitions, along with in the Premier League (23 to 16).
Muller claiming Bayern ‘lagging behind’ hints at issues signing Liverpool’s Mane
Yet Muller has hinted that costs is not the leading reason as to why Bayern Munich struggle to advance their interest in leading European-based players, such as signing Mane from Liverpool. Instead, the FCB icon believes players do not hold the Bundesliga as a league in high regard.
“Bayern currently have an advantage at national level but at the international level, we are lagging behind in terms of budget and also in terms of competitiveness,” he said, via quotes by TuttoMercatoWEB.
“To be honest, Bayern have never managed to attract first-rate stars. Jean-Pierre Papin was on the downside and Arjen Robben came in particular. We always have built our stars ourselves, which is good.
“I was delighted with Eintracht’s victory in the Europa League final and Leipzig in the semi-finals. We need to become a more attractive league internationally, and everyone has to work hard for this.”
Muller’s comments may hint at Bayern Munich struggling to turn their interest in Mane into a deal with Liverpool. Yet the 88-cap forward is seemingly interested in moving to Bavaria in the summer and earning a lavish pay rise from the terms he has earned at Anfield since 2018.