Senegal international Sadio Mane only joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool a year ago but is on the verge of moving to Saudi Arabia to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo
Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo could be team-mates very soon
Sadio Mane has agreed personal terms with Al-Nassr - with the Saudi club’s transfer embargo due to be lifted shortly.
The Senegal international, 31, is poised to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after a difficult campaign at Bayern Munich. Mane joined the Germans from Liverpool a year ago but has struggled to make an impression in Bavaria, scoring just seven Bundesliga goals.
It’s believed Bayern are willing to let Mane leave the club - and he’s keen on a move to Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr still need to agree a transfer fee with Bayern for the Ballon d’Or runner-up, but that isn’t expected to be a problem due to the club’s huge wealth.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, are the majority owners of Al-Nassr. If Mane completes the proposed transfer, he will get the chance to play alongside Ronaldo after their private meeting earlier this year.
As reported by L’Equipe, Mane has agreed to join Al-Nassr and is now just waiting on them to finalise a transfer fee with Bayern. The move is set to go ahead despite the Saudi club being placed under a transfer embargo by FIFA earlier this month.
“The club Al-Nassr is currently prevented from registering new players due to outstanding debts,” read a statement from FIFA. “The relevant bans will be lifted immediately upon the settlement of the debts being confirmed by the creditors concerned.”
It’s believed the debts relate to Ahmed Musa’s move from Leicester to Al-Nassr in 2018. In October 2021, FIFA declared that Al-Nassr still needed to pay the Foxes £390,000 for Musa. Ronaldo reportedly earns £3.4million per week at Al-Nassr.
Mane is close to joining Al-Nassr (
Image:
Getty Images)
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Yet Al-Nassr’s transfer ban is expected to be lifted this week, paving the way for Mane to complete his move. That will be a huge coup for the Saudis, as Mane has scored more than 200 career goals and won 11 trophies, including the Champions League.
Thomas Tuchel recently hinted that Mane could be sold this summer, as he looks to rebuild Bayern’s squad. Although they defended their Bundesliga title on the final day of the season, Bayern were humbled 4-1 on aggregate by Manchester City in Europe.
Former Chelsea boss Tuchel told reporters: “His (Mane’s) first season at Bayern was far from satisfactory. So far, it has not lived up to expectations at all. As a left-winger, the competition is enormous… For Sadio, it will be complicated in the coming months.”
If the deal goes through as planned, Mane will enjoy the opportunity to play alongside Ronaldo. The Liverpool icon told SportBild earlier this year: “I met Cristiano Ronaldo in Mallorca before this season after my move (to Bayern) was completed.
“He congratulated me and told me, ‘A great club. This is a great step for you’. That says everything about the Bundesliga and underlines what I’ve already said. I think you underestimate the Bundesliga here. The recent performances in the Champions League prove that.”
