Arnaut Danjuma is aware of interest from Premier League giants Liverpool as he weighs up a potential £60 million move away from Villarreal during the summer transfer window, speaking to Ziggo Sport.
There are certainly a few distinct similarities between the situations facing Robert Lewandowski and the man who could replace him at the Allianz Arena; One Sadio Mane.
Both players seem certain of the fact that they have played their final games in the colours of Liverpool and Bayern Munich respectively.
Now, ‘player power’ is hardly a new phenomenon, but it’s surely a bit presumptuous for Lewandowski and Mane to assume that they will be free to simply stroll out the door with 12 months remaining on their contracts.
Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn had a dose of harsh reality for his free-scoring number nine this week, and one suspects Mane will be sent a similar reminder behind the scenes at Anfield.
Will Arnaut Danjuma replace Sadio Mane at Liverpool?
Liverpool will not force Mane to stay. But the Merseyside giants understandably want a fair sum for a player who scored 23 goals in 2021/22. What’s more, the Senegalese superstar still has years left at the highest level.
Then again, even a footballer as lavishly gifted as Sadio Mane cannot go on forever. And this may be the ideal time to cash in, when his market value is still relatively high.
Especially with Dutch international Danjuma – a player Liverpool have reportedly identified as Mane’s long-term successor – admitting he’s open to the idea of leaving Villarreal after just one superb season on the Castellon coast.
“I’m always as honest as possible about it” says the former Bournemouth talisman, who scored 16 times in 34 games for Villarreal (Voetbal Primeur).
“I’ve never had contact with clubs or anything like that during the season. But I was informed that Liverpool was following me closely.
“I’ll never lie: I think it’s a bad quality if you’re not ambitious. And if a club came along that offers me a higher sporting platform to play on, I should always consider it.”
A tricky winger who can also play through the middle, Danjuma certainly has plenty in common with Liverpool’s wantaway number ten. From a stylistic and positional perspective, at least.
At 25, he is five years Mane’s junior too.
And Danjuma’s agent admitted a couple of weeks ago that there was a ‘50 per cent’ chance he would leave Villarreal after just one season in La Liga.
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