Liverpool wants more than £25 million for Mane

Liverpool will play hardball over the future of Sadio Mané and demand a fee far in excess of £25 million should the forward formally request to leave.

Bayern Munich are keen to enlist the services of the 30-year-old forward, who suffered the heartache of defeat by Real Madrid in Saturday’s Champions League final, and believe Mané is receptive to their overtures.

The German champions value him at €30 million (about £25 million) but Liverpool feel his price tag is much higher, even though Mané has only one year remaining on his contract. He cost Liverpool £34 million when arriving from Southampton in the summer of 2016.

Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, would also want a replacement lined up before agreeing to any departure. Mané has not informed Liverpool yet that he sees his future elsewhere and did not make a statement on his future on Saturday night, as he had originally intended.

Liverpool have been planning to open talks on a new contract with the player, who has scored 23 goals this season, at the end of the campaign.

The club have several players entering the final year of their existing deals, including Mohamed Salah.

He said last week that he would remain at Liverpool next season, which raises the prospect of the Egypt striker — who scored 23 league goals for Liverpool this season — leaving on a free transfer in the summer of 2023