Mo Salah and Sadio Mane shone as Liverpool lifted the Champions League and accumulated 97 points in the Premier League, too.
Sadio Mane and Mo Salah will walk away from Liverpool after lifting the Champions League before going head-to-head in a beefed up Classico in the colours of Real Madrid and Barcelona. At least, that is the fear running through the mind of Anfield legend Graeme Souness, speaking to the Irish Independent.
Mane and Salah have spent the last two years together on Merseyside and, along with Roberto Firmino, they have formed arguably the most thrilling attacking force anywhere in European football.
And two of Africa’s greatest ever exports celebrated Europe’s biggest prize on Saturday when Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 in the Champions League final, Salah netting a second minute opener from the penalty spot.
But Liverpool have history when it comes to losing their star men to one of Spain’s giants, see Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Xabi Alonso, and Souness is terrified that history could repeat itself this summer.
“Real Madrid and Barcelona will be sniffing round Salah and Mane and I think one of them will be targeted this summer,” Souness said. “Both of those clubs are in the process of rebuilding and they tend to tempt any player when they go after them.
“Liverpool are a massive football club and they have proved they are back on top after reaching the Champions League final for two years in succession, but a lot of players find it hard to say no when Real Madrid and Barcelona go after you.
“We saw that in the past with Luiz Suarez and Philippe Coutinho and even though they enjoyed playing for Liverpool, their heads were turned when Barcelona wanted them. That will happen again now with Salah and Mane.”
In fairness to Liverpool’s attacking superstars, both have played down speculation linking them with a move away and seem very content with life under Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside – and why shouldn’t they be?
This is a Reds side who have the potential to go on and establish themselves as the best team on the continent over the next few years.
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