Liverpool are yet to agree a new contract with Sadio Mane despite opening talks over a five-year deal at the end of last season, according to James Pearce.
In a Q&A for the Echo, the Merseyside correspondent explained the Merseyside giants had been keen to tie down the Senegalese forward after agreeing long-term deals with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino earlier this year.
Pearce reports “at the moment not a lot is going on with it” and negotiations that began in May have yet to reach a successful conclusion.
OPINION
Jurgen Klopp has been making his feelings clear about Mane during the international break, enthusing about the wide forward’s athleticism, extreme speed, cleverness, technique and matchwinning ability. The German also claimed the 26-year-old is so good he could play anywhere in attack and even in midfield. Certainly, Mane is an outstanding asset for the Liverpool team and a key member of the starting XI. He has scored 40 goals in 89 matches for the club, as well as supplied 18 assists, and netted seven times already this season. Yet, there is a sense Mane has been well below the level he can reach this season. He looked on fire in the first matches of the campaign, but has subsequently blown hot and cold, and his concession of possession in the final third is becoming a growing issue. That said, the club and supporters will be keen to see him tied to a new deal and the value of one of the team’s prime assets protected.