Liverpool may have Sadio Mane to thank if Mohamed Salah signs new Anfield contract

Liverpool may have their former winger Sadio Mane to thank if Mohamed Salah signs a new deal to extend his stay on Merseyside. Mane quit Liverpool to join Bayern Munich in 2022 but was sold to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr just a year after moving to Germany.

Mane was one of the best attacking players in Europe during his six-year spell at Anfield and helped the Reds win a whole host of trophies, including the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup.

But he ended his association with the English giants after bagging 120 goals and 42 assists in 269 appearances for the club.

Mane was 30 years old by the time he secured his transfer to the Allianz Arena. And he failed to ignite the Bundesliga as he was regularly omitted from the starting line-up towards the end of his sole campaign in Munich. So when Al-Nassr came calling, Bayern moved him on and recouped most of the £35million they paid Liverpool for him.

Mane’s reputation has diminished further since he moved to Saudi Arabia, where the standard of football is way below that of the top European leagues.

The Senegal international has contributed 19 goals and 13 assists in 50 appearances for his current employers. But those statistics don’t appear particularly impressive given the fact his 39-year-old team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo has averaged almost a goal a game since joining Al-Nassr.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the declining reputation of Mane since his move to the Middle East has been cited as one of the reasons Salah is against a move to Saudi Arabia.

A source has revealed to the publication that Salah “doesn’t want to be like Sadio even if it means more money”.

Salah has considered the small crowds, lower standard of football and lack of worldwide attention in Saudi Arabia over the last year and has weighed them up against the financial benefit of joining the exodus of European players to the Middle East. And he has decided he would like to stay at Liverpool beyond his current deal.

But the Egyptian forward, who earns £350,000 per week at Anfield, may have to make the first move to show Liverpool chiefs he is serious about staying.

The 32-year-old dropped a bombshell during his interview with Sky Sports after bagging a goal and two assists against Manchester United on Sunday as he explained: “I was coming to the game, I was saying, ‘Look, it could be the last time [I play at Old Trafford]’.

He then added: “Nobody in the club talked to me yet about contracts so I was just like, ‘Okay, I play my last season and see at the end of the season’. I feel I am free to play football – we will see what happens next year.”