Sadio Mane in talks over Saudi switch following Bayern Munich nightmare

Ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane is in talks over joining Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr as he looks to bring a nightmare 12 months at Bayern Munich to a close.

The Senegalese star completed a £27m move to Bavaria last summer, but despite a strong start to his time in Germany he faded out of favour when Thomas Tuchel took over, and was suspended briefly after an altercation with Leroy Sane in which he punched the German in the aftermath of a Champions League game against Manchester City.

With just 12 goals in 38 games, he is out of favour at the Allianz Arena and Thomas Tuchel appeared to suggest that he was well behind other options in his pecking order.

“Basically, Sadio had an unsatisfactory season and fell short of expectations”, the ex-Chelsea boss explained. “The competitive situation is extremely high for him with Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry, we have a constellation which makes it very difficult for Sadio. The player knows that too, he knows my opinion and the opinion of the club.”

The German continued: “Let’s see. Crazy things have happened in football. Ultimately, the starting position is not easy. Time will make us a little smarter.”

Now, according to the Athletic, Mane is in discussions over a switch to Saudi Arabia, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr keen to add him to their ranks.

‘A representative from the Roof agency, which looks after Mane, met Al Nassr sporting director Goran Vucevic at the Pine Cliffs hotel in Portugal to discuss the potential switch’, they report, which could see him join the likes of Seko Fofana, Alex Telles and Marcelo Brozovic at the Saudi side.

Al-Nassr are on the hunt for more attacking reinforcements, with Hakim Ziyech having been primed to make the switch from Chelsea before he failed a medical with ‘knee problems’. It is thought that Bayern would demand a significant fee for Mane, who has two years left on his contract in Germany.

They are also keen on Moussa Diaby, and have submitted a 43m euro offer for the Leverkusen attacker, though they face competition from Aston Villa for his signature.

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