Pundit suggests Liverpool might already have a £49m replacement for Sadio Mane

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Well, Sadio Mane is looking certain to leave Liverpool.

Yet again this weekend, the Senegal international made inflammatory comments about his future by hinting an exit from Anfield was imminent.

This is on the back of rumours that Real Madrid and Bayern Munich want to sign the Liverpool attacker, with the latter looking most likely at the moment.

The big question is, who will the Reds sign to replace him?

There’s been talks with Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona, with contact made, and Goal reported in April that Arnaut Danjuma was being considered a long-term successor for the former Southampton livewire.

However, Steve Nicol, speaking to ESPN, has intimated that his old club already have the perfect alternative in the form of Luis Diaz.

Diaz joined Liverpool in a £49 million deal [Sky Sports] in January and was so successful early on that Jurgen Klopp began using Mane centrally, to accomodate the Colombia international out on the left.

And although Nicol concedes that the 30-year-old has been a ‘fantastic’ servant to the Merseysiders, Diaz’s arrival means Mane’s likely exit isn’t something to be feared.

He told ESPN: “I will say though he’s been fantastic for Liverpool, he still is fantastic, but the truth is Liverpool and 99.9 per cent of any other club can’t pay everybody £5m and £6m, so you have to make choices. It is the right choice in my opinion because six months ago, a guy called Diaz came.

“So you know what? If you can’t pay everybody £5m or £6m, you have to decide who you let go and keep. And if you have Diaz moving straight into that spot, then that’s why for me, if you can get the £40m for Mane, then you do it.”