Sadio Mane has retracted his comments about leaving Liverpool amid reports linking him to Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, insisting he still has a lot of respect for the Reds.
Mane’s current contract at Liverpool expires in a year, and no extension has been agreed upon, raising serious doubts about his future at Anfield.
Following the Reds’ Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, it was reported that the 30-year-old has already decided to leave, with Bayern Munich the most likely next destination.
Mane has given the clearest indication yet that he will leave Liverpool ahead of Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin on Saturday.
He said that “between 60 and 70 per cent” of Senegalese supporters would like him to secure a summer transfer and promised to “do what they want”.
Those comments fueled the rumour mill even more, with PSG reportedly interested in Mane’s services, but he has since insisted that he wasn’t serious during the pre-match press conference.
“I spoke yesterday while joking with a bit of humour and it was everywhere,” the Liverpool star said after scoring a hat-trick in Senegal’s 3-1 win over Benin. I believe we’ll come to an end there.
“Liverpool is a club I respect a lot. The fans adopted me since day one. Regarding the future, we’ll see.”
