The 24 year old winger was exceptional for the Saints this past season, and Liverpool have managed to snap him up from Southampton for a transfer fee of £34 million.
Senegalese winger Sadio Mane burst onto the scene in the 2014-15 season, after he arrived from Red Bull Salzburg for £11.8 million. He even set the record for the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, smashing three goals in 2 minutes and 56 seconds against Aston Villa in the Saint’s final home game. Mane ended the season with 10 goals in 32 appearances.
The 24-year-old took things a step further this past season, as he plundered 15 goals and registered six assists to help Southampton to a sixth placed finish in the 2015-16 Premier League campaign. His exploits had attracted the attention of a number of top clubs, including Manchester United.
However, their bitter rivals Liverpool are on the verge of signing the player, with a medical test due for Monday and the official confirmation to come on Tuesday, according to BBC.
Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp was reportedly very impressed by Mane’s performance in Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton in March. The club have agreed upon a £34 million deal with the Saints for the player after they had initially demanded £40 million.
Liverpool’s second most expensive transfer of all time
Liverpool are not a club known to spend huge money on transfers, but they have been on a bit of a spending spree, the past couple of seasons. They purchased another Southampton attacker in Adam Lallana for £25 million in 2014, and the next season the club spent £29 million and £32.6 million on Hoffenheim’s Roberto Firmino and Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke respectively.
The highest transfer fee Liverpool had paid was for Andy Carroll in 2011, when they splashed £35 million for the English striker from Newcastle United.
However, that record is now set to be almost equaled by the purchase of Sadio Mane, as Liverpool prepare for their first full season under the dynamic leadership of Jurgen Klopp.
