Well, Sadio Mane leaving Liverpool is looking more nailed-on by the day.
On Friday, speaking before an international clash with Senegal, Mane offered a strong clue that he would be quitting the Reds this summer.
After the Champions League final defeat, Mane is reported to have told Liverpool that he wants to go, in a development which stunned Fenway Sports Group.
In Germany, Sport 1 have reported that a ‘lack of financial appreciation’ is the primary factor in his desire to leave Anfield.
But Mane needs to look at what Gini Wijnaldum has been posting on Twitter over the past 24 hours before making a concrete decision.
Wijnaldum left Liverpool last summer after failing to get the wages he wanted to secure on Merseyside, with Jurgen Klopp losing him on a Bosman.
He joined Paris Saint-Germain – who would later sign Lionel Messi – and it seemed like this move was perfect for the Netherlands international.
Problem is, it wasn’t.
The 31-year-old failed to establish himself as a regular in Mauricio Pochettino’s best midfield last season, resulting in him losing his place in the Netherlands squad under Louis van Gaal.
While the Dutch hammered Belgium 4-1 last night, Wijnaldum was posting photographs of his holiday in what adequately sums up his decline since leaving Liverpool.
Had he stayed, he probably would’ve been involved in that emphatic victory.
Nobody’s saying that Sadio Mane leaving Liverpool will result in the same sort of fall from grace.
But it makes you wonder if Wijnaldum would’ve settled for what FSG were offering in their contract extension last summer instead of taking the big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain, if he’d known how badly it would affect his career.
Mane will get more money by leaving Anfield, because Real Madrid or Bayern Munich will both pay him handsomely, but the grass isn’t greener on the other side despite the financial gain and if the former Southampton livewire needs reminding of that, he need only look at Wijnaldum’s social media activity.
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