SADIO MANE has revealed how close he came to agreeing a move to Manchester United before Jurgen Klopp convinced him to join Liverpool instead.
The 30-year-old looks set to feature in tonight’s Champions League final against Real Madrid.
He scored Liverpool’s only goal from their 3-1 defeat the last time The Reds faced off against them in the final.
Mane has been an integral part of Klopp’s Liverpool machine since joining from Southampton in 2016, but he revealed how different this outcome could have been.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Mane said: “I was really close to going to Manchester United.
“I had the contract there. I had it all agreed. It was all ready, but instead I thought, ‘No, I want to go to Liverpool’.
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“I was convinced to go with Klopp’s project.”
The Senegal star has made 268 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 120 times and contributing a further 48 assists.
Under Klopp’s tutelage he has been transformed from tricky winger at Southampton into one of the best attackers in world football.
But this partnership could have stretched back even further if Klopp had his way while coaching at German side Borussia Dortmund.
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Mane added: “I still remember the first time I got the call from Klopp. He said, ‘Sadio, listen, I want to explain to you what happened at Dortmund.’
“That was when he thought of signing me for Dortmund and for some reason it didn’t work out. He tried to explain and I said, ‘it’s okay, it happened’. I forgave him.
“Then he said, ‘Now I want you at Liverpool’. And I said, ‘Okay, Dortmund is behind us, let’s focus on the future’. He said, ‘We have a big project at Liverpool and I want you to be part of it’.”
Liverpool have continued to go from strength to strength since 2016, winning six major trophies, while Manchester United have continued to struggle in their bid to return to the summit of the Premier League.
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If Liverpool can overcome the challenge posed by Spanish Champions Real, they will complete a cup treble this season, while also drawing level with AC Milan on seven Champions League titles.
However, this could be Mane’s last season with the Anfield club, with reports linking him with a move away as he enters the final year of his contract with Liverpool.
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