According to BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Danny Mills, Liverpool should sell Sadio Mane for as little as £25m this summer after a second bid was turned town.
The Lowdown: Liverpool reject second bid
The Senegalese sensation first arrived at Anfield from fellow Premier League rivals Southampton in a £34m move six years ago, but after entering the final 12 months of his current contract on Merseyside, the 30-year-old has made his intentions to quit the Reds very clear.
It was reported last month that German giants Bayern Munich want to sign the forward, and an update from The Athletic has now revealed that Liverpool have rejected a second £23.5m bid from the Allianz outfit for their star man.
The Latest: Mills baffled by 'haggling'
Mills however believes that whilst Mane has been a fantastic servant for the club, they should not stand in his way if he’s ‘desperate’ to leave over the coming weeks. He told Football Insider:
“He’s 30-years-old they bought him for not an awful lot and had good service out of him.
“You’re getting to the point, if he wants to go, if he’s desperate to move on, just get a fee for him and let him go.
“You’re going to end up haggling over £2million, £3million either way. Do you really want that when you’re going to have keep an unhappy player there and pay his wages as well?
“Or do you say ‘Right ok, let’s get a deal done’. Get the money and bring someone else in.
“There will be a little bit of posturing, a little bit of ego, a little bit of brinkmanship from both sides.
“Ultimately I see this deal being done at anywhere between £21million and £25million.”
The Verdict: Mane would be a huge loss
Despite his age compared to the rest of the Liverpool squad, you could argue that the 89-cap international has been the Reds’ most in-form player this season.
Throughout the 2021/22 campaign, the striker netted 23 goals and provided five assists for Jurgen Klopp’s side across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt, with only Mohamed Salah (31) scoring more.
If Mane is to leave Anfield, it would be a huge loss to the club where he’s become such an integral part of the starting XI over the years, but with the Reds only securing two trophies rather than the quadruple that they were initially hoping for, the £200k-per-week starlet may just be up for a new challenge before his prime expires.