Saudi side Al-Nassr announce signing of Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Senegalese international Sadio Mane is the latest high profile player to join the cash-rich Saudi league.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
RIYADH – Sadio Mane is looking forward to a fresh start with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr following a troubled season with Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga.
The Senegal international is the latest high-profile player to join the cash-rich Saudi league on Tuesday and will link up with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mane spent one season with Bundesliga champions Bayern and had two more years left on his contract, but an injury and a fallout with a teammate meant he was unable to replicate the same impact he had with Liverpool.
Financial details were not disclosed but media reports said that the Saudis paid £24 million (S$40.9 million) for the 31-year-old striker.
“I’m really happy to be part of you guys, I can’t wait to see you. Leaving Bayern hurts me. I would have wished for a different ending,” Mane said, in a video addressed to Al-Nassr supporters on the club’s social media accounts.
Mane moved to Bayern
He was a key figure in the Merseyside club’s attack but failed to make the same impression at Bayern, where he fell out with teammate Leroy Sane and hit the German winger
The two-time African Footballer of the Year averaged more than 20 goals a season in his last five campaigns with the Reds but scored only 12 for Bayern.
“We want to thank Sadio Mane for the past season. It certainly hasn’t been an easy year for him, suffering an injury just before the World Cup and missing out on participation with Senegal,” Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said.
“Due to the long downtime, he wasn’t able to contribute as much to Bayern as we, and he himself, had hoped. That’s why we decided together that he should start a new chapter in his career and make a fresh start at another club.”
Mane joins an Al-Nassr outfit who have strengthened their squad since the marquee signing of Ronaldo last term.
The Saudi side, who were runners-up last season, have signed midfielders Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan and Seko Fofana from Lens, while left-back Alex Telles has also joined from Manchester United.
In other transfer news, Ghana centre-back Mohammed Salisu has joined AS Monaco on a five-year deal from Southampton, the Ligue 1 club said.
Meanwhile, France international Axel Disasi is on the verge of signing for Chelsea. The transfer fee for the 25-year-old defender is reported to be around £38 million.
The Blues, meanwhile, have signed teenage midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes on a seven-year contract. The France Under-19 international moves to Stamford Bridge for a reported fee of £23.5 million as the club continue rebuilding under new boss Mauricio Pochettino.
He follows Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Angelo Gabriel to west London, with Disasi’s move from Monaco expected to be completed in the coming days.
AFP, REUTERS
