Forget Coutinho – Why His Star Liverpool Teammate Would Be A Great Buy For Barcelona Instead

Why Sadio Mane Would Be A Great Buy For Barcelona

The 25 year-old Liverpool forward has been in the thick of action for the Reds lately and is being pursued by Europe’s bigwigs as we speak. Owing to his soaring demands in the market, the Senegal International is a prospective target for Barcelona, whilst also being eyed by the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid.

According to reports in England, Barcelona are showing interest in Sadio Mane after various attempts to sign Phillipe Coutinho going in vain. However, the Catalans have diverted their attention to Coutinho’s Liverpool team-mate Mane, amidst a keen eye from Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Italy’s Old Lady as well.

As is the case, Liverpool made sure that by rejecting several bids for their main playmaker Coutinho, Klopp kept his squad strength intact despite his desire to make the move to Camp Nou. Now Barca boss Ernesto Valverde looks to put in the money to source out another of Liverpool’s key players, to bolster his attack.

Mane’s reputation is that of a superstar at Anfield ever since he made his £34million move to Liverpool last summer, after excelling for both Red Bull Salzburg and Southampton. The Senegalese scored 13 goals and had 5 assists in the Premier League last season. He has found the net thrice in four games this season already but is currently serving a three-match ban for accidentally kicking Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson last week, for which he was red carded too.

For Jurgen Klopp, losing Sadio Mane would mean losing a powerful force that has the ability to make blistering runs, make incisive passes and finish the ball – things that are vital to Klopp’s playing style. It would be a nightmare come true for the Reds. He is arguably one of Premier League’s most dangerous attacking players right now.

Clearly Liverpool won’t want to lose Mane after fighting so hard to keep Coutinho. But when clubs like Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid come knocking on your door, allegedly keen on your winger, things might get hard to handle.

Though Liverpool will naturally fight tooth and nail to keep both their players as they happen to be crucial to Klopp’s arrangements at the Anfield.

The Reasons?

As Barcelona get ready to court Sadio Mane in the coming months, the fact that two other big European giants are in the hunt for the speedy Senegal forward surely spices things up and would make all the negotiations far more interesting.

Given the form that he is in, Mane produced a fantastic display in last week’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Sevilla. His performance reflected how big he has become under Klopp. Until now, he has scored 16 goals in his 31 appearances for LFC.

Also, Mane’s presence was felt on Saturday as his team-mates were held to a draw at home to Burnley in the first Premier League match of his suspension. Without Mane, Liverpool’s game suffered, spelling trouble for Klopp’s weekend plans. He is without a question, Liverpool’s best and most important player right now.

He is on the verge of becoming a top player as Jamie Carragher said,

“I have no doubt if he continues in the form that he’s been in in the last sort of 18 months, that there will be clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, looking at Mane in the future because as we’ve always said, when those clubs come calling, any club is in danger of losing their players.”

After a transfer request of a £118m bid was turned down by the Reds for Brazilian ace Philippe Coutinho, shifting primary focus to Sadio Mane reeks prosperity and all things pleasant for the Catalan giants.

However, Klopp is going to go all out to thwart any interest being shown in his star attacker and Barca would face a battle of conviction to make Klopp agree to let his main guy go. This signing could prove to be career-altering one for the Senegalese attacker while it might also put a full stop to Coutinho’s dream of donning a Catalan shirt.