When Sadio Mane left Liverpool last summer, Jurgen Klopp made it clear that he believed the attacker would be a success at new club Bayern Munich.
But those comments have been thrown into a new light amid the Senegal international's dreadful campaign in Germany. Mane fell out of favour during the end of Julian Nagelsmann's time as manager and has struggled to cement himself under new boss Thomas Tuchel.
The low point of his time at the Allianz Arena came after Bayern's defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League. It has been alleged that Mane had an altercation with team-mate Leory Sane after the game, leaving the winger with a busted lip.
According to Sky Germany, Mane was handed a hefty fine, the highest ever given out in Bayern's history. He was also suspended by the Bundesliga giants for the clash with Hoffenheim, which ended in a draw.
Bayern are now thought to be open to selling Mane in the summer window, just a year after spending £35m to buy him from the Reds. His current situation is a far cry from last year, when Klopp was left heartbroken by his departure.
"One of Liverpool's greatest ever players is leaving and we must acknowledge how significant this is. He leaves with our gratitude and our love. He leaves with his status among the greats guaranteed," Klopp said.
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"And, yes, he leaves in a moment where he is one of the best players in world football. But we must not dwell on what we now lose, instead celebrate what we were privileged to have.
'The goals he scored, the trophies he won; a legend, for sure, but also a modern-day Liverpool icon. I respect completely his decision and I'm sure our supporters do also. If you love LFC, you have to love Sadio – non-negotiable.
"It is possible to do this while accepting our loss is Bayern's gain. We wish him nothing but success in every match he plays in, unless, of course, it's against us. His star will continue to rise, I have no doubts."
Former Liverpool star Stan Collymore certainly believes that Mane should be one of the Reds' top targets. The Englishman has insisted that the attacker still has "plenty to offer", despite leaving Anfield last summer.
“I’d have a nibble at Mane, – after events in the Bayern Munich dressing room this past week – and see if Jurgen Klopp could go some way towards getting the show back on the road like that,” he told the Sunday People.
“Darwin Nunez is ready to take the role of Bobby Firmino and, with Mane and Salah either side of him plus Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota as very, very good back-up. Mane still has plenty to offer and if there’s a cut-price deal to be done, then I’d be making the call.”
