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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jacob Leeks

Sadio Mane breaks silence on Leroy Sane fight as agent makes new transfer claim

Sadio Mane has branded his fight with Leroy Sane a "small problem" as he insisted he wanted to move on from the incident after a disappointing debut season at Bayern Munich.

The former Liverpool star was alleged to have punched Sane in the face following a thrashing by Manchester City in the Champions League. City eased to a 3-0 win over the Bundesliga champions in the first leg of their quarter-final clash in early April.

Mane had come off the bench in that game, with Sane playing all 90 minutes at the Etihad Stadium. As they left the pitch, the duo could be seen arguing, with that confrontation continuing inside the away dressing room.

Sane was left with a bloodied lip after Mane's punch, with their team-mates having to step in to separate them. Mane was subsequently fined £250,000 by Bayern and was handed a one-match suspension for his actions.

And the Senegal international is keen to now put the incident behind him as he prepares for his second pre-season with Bayern. The attacker admitted he had made a mistake and is now focused on helping Bayern achieve success next term.

"This kind of things can happen. It happened. We were able to solve this small problem. Sometimes it's good to solve problems, but maybe not in this way. It's behind us now. We'll try to fight together to help the club achieve its goals next season," he said.

"I'm on vacation with the family. It was a very complicated season, it happens. It wasn't a surprise, I expected things to be a bit complicated. It's normal. I love challenges, and Bayern is a big challenge.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Sadio Mane try to leave Bayern Munich this summer? Comment below.

Mane and Sane had clashed during Bayern Munich's defeat to Manchester City in April (Getty Images)

"It's up to me to do everything to meet this challenge. God willing. If everything goes well, I'm going to return to Bayern."

Given his struggles at Bayern, where he was named the Bundesliga's most disappointing player, Mane had been linked with an exit from the Allianz Arena. One option would be a return to the Premier League, with several teams interested.

He was also floated as a potential target for the Saudi Pro League, which has launched a major recruitment drive this summer. But Mane's agent Bacary Cisse has denied that his client is looking to leave.

He told Senegalese television station 2STV: "I haven't heard about approaches from Saudi - what's certain is that he stays at Bayern. He signed for three years. He spent one year and still has two. So yes, for now he stays at Bayern."

Those comments were backed up by Mane's international manager Alou Cisse. The Senegal boss insisted that it is "certain" that the attacker will be remaining in Germany for the forseeable future.

Cisse said: "I haven't heard about approaches from Saudi - what's certain is that he stays at Bayern. He signed for three years. He spent one year and still has two. So yes, for now he stays at Bayern."

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