Danny Murphy believes that Liverpool won’t seek to bring Sadio Mane back to Anfield because of the number of forwards already at the club.
The Senegal star spent six years with the Reds before departing for Bayern Munich last summer, but a troubled first season in the Bundesliga – involving an altercation with Leroy Sane and a hefty fine – has seen him linked with a return to the Premier League (Sky Sports Germany).
While the 46-year-old reckons that many Kopites would welcome the £373k-per-week attacker (FBref) back to Merseyside, he doesn’t envisage a second LFC coming for the African.
Murphy told talkSPORT: “I think the fans would take him, but you would have to get rid of someone. They have five forwards, or six even, and that is a huge chunk of their budget on a player and position they don’t need. They need midfielders. So I can’t see it.”
READ MORE: When did Brendan Rodgers’ 33 signings leave Liverpool and what have they done since?
Having cost £35.1m from Liverpool last year (The Mirror), Bayern may be seeking to recoup a similar amount if they offload Mane, and the logic of paying that to bring a 31-year-old back to the club would seem questionable in the long run.
The Senegalese star was superb at Anfield, ending his time here with 120 goals in 269 appearances (Transfermarkt), but even that mightn’t guarantee him a place in the team if he were to reunite with the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp already has Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo in his attack for next season, with the latter three all accustomed to playing in Mane’s favoured left-sided position.
By contrast, with Liverpool confirming the exits of three current midfielders yesterday, squad depth in that area of the pitch will be much sparser unless at least a couple of signings are made.
We can see why Murphy is doubting the likelihood of a second coming at Anfield for the 31-year-old, even if the forward’s previous heroics on Merseyside would guarantee him a fond welcome back.