Paul Merson has claimed that Liverpool would re-sign Sadio Mane āin an instantā if he became available.
The Reds sold Mane for Ā£35m this summer, following six glorious years at Anfield. In the six months since, Liverpool have looked a shadow of their former selves. Whether thatās down to to Maneās absence or not is up for debate. But Merson certainly thinks itās playing a part.
Writing his Premier League predictions for this weekend via Sportskeeda, the pundit says Liverpool made a huge mistake in selling him.
āIāve been saying it from the start ā selling Sadio Mane was a bad decision,ā Merson writes. āIf he came up for sale again, theyād buy him back in an instant. He was a massive part of that team and he didnāt get the credit he deserved. Liverpool sold one of their best players for hardly any money and itās coming back to bite them.ā
Mane decision out of Liverpoolās hands
Merson is right, heās been banging this drum for a while. Perhaps even before Liverpool sold Mane to Bayern Munich.
But as to his wider point, heās more wrong than he realises. Given the chance, perhaps Liverpool would bring Mane back, but it isnāt up to them. It never was.
The simple fact that Merson seems to be wilfully ignoring is that Sadio wanted to leave. Liverpool didnāt decide to sell him. The 30-year-old wanted to go. This is something that the pundit just doesnāt seem to want to acknowledge.
Anyway, ignoring all that, would Liverpool bring Mane back?
The short answer is probably yes. Jurgen Klopp was obviously a huge fan of his and he obtained legendary status during his time at Anfield.
Itās true that he wouldnāt fit the profile of the kinds of players the Reds are targeting. In fact, heās probably the polar opposite.
But as seen in the willingness to give Roberto Firmino a new contract, Klopp sees value in keeping these older heads around. If Mane were willing to come back in a reduced role to bring through the likes of Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, that would be perfect.
In reality though, that isnāt going to happen. Mane was reportedly after an enormous wage rise should he have stayed at Anfield beyond last summer. He still wants a key role in a big team, and is getting that at Bayern despite his current injury. For good or bad, Maneās Liverpool story is written. And what a story it was.