Sadio Mané said he was in “no doubt” he had made the right move in joining Bayern Munich from Liverpool after his transfer was confirmed. The Bundesliga champions are paying a guaranteed £27.5m and the fee could rise to £35.1m (€40m) with add-ons.
“I’m very happy to finally be with FC Bayern in Munich,” the Senegal forward told the club’s website. “We had a lot of talks and I felt the great interest of this big club from the start so there was no doubt in my mind right from the start. This is the right time for this challenge. I want to achieve a lot with this club, also internationally.”
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The 30-year-old had one year left on his deal at Liverpool, where he had played since 2016. He arrives at Bayern with their leading scorer, Robert Lewandowski, determined to leave for Barcelona and attracting interest from other clubs including Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern’s board member for sport, Hasan Salihamidzic, reiterated on Wednesday that the Pole had a contract to 2023 and said he was expected for pre-season training on July 12th.
Salihamidzic underlined why Bayern moved for Mané. “A top international star is coming to FC Bayern, who has left his mark on world football,” he said.
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”We’re proud to have brought him to Munich. Sadio made it clear from the first minute in our talks that he now wanted to play for FC Bayern. Everyone knows his outstanding technical qualities as well as his incredible mentality.”
Salihamidzic said the transfer “shows that our club and he have big aims”. Bayern won a 10th consecutive Bundesliga title in April but failed for a second consecutive season to get beyond the Champions League quarter-finals.
Mané, who has a contract to 2025, told Liverpool’s website: “Obviously it is strange – really, really strange – to no longer be a Liverpool player. But of course I had a great time, an unbelievable time.
“We won a lot. My life is always (about a) challenge and when it came I said to the club that I want to leave, I want to go somewhere else to see a new challenge.” - Guardian
