“He’s a traveller”- Liverpool icon urges Sadio Mane to leave the club this summer

David James urges Sadio Mane to leave Liverpool for Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Football Show (h/t Liverpool Echo), David James claimed that a move to Bayern Munich would be best for Sadio Mane and his career right now.

The Senegalese superstar has been linked with a move to Bayern and Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona this summer. His current contract with the Reds is due to expire in the summer of 2023, and James believes now is the time for him to leave Anfield.

He claims that apart from the FA Cup, Mane has won virtually every trophy there is to win with the Reds. To add to that, he just won the AFCON with the Lions of Teranga this year. And if there ever was a time for him to move elsewhere, it’s this season.

“If you have an optimum time where you can make the most of a move, given that he isn’t English then, therefore, he’s a traveller. The idea of going to Germany and playing for Bayern Munich would be something that suits his overall career.”

“Now is the time to do it for Sadio Mane as much as I know Liverpool fans will be saying ‘no I want him to stay till the end of his career’. If he has a perfect opportunity, then this season will be it.”

James made 277 appearances for the Reds in the 1990s- the most he did for any club throughout his career- and was capped 53 times for the England national team. He is a legend of Premier League football and an icon for Reds fans.

And while they may not like the 51-year-old for what he has said above, it is not hard to see where he is coming from. Mane isn’t a homegrown player for us and has played football in France and Austria before coming to England.

Strictly in terms of Mane cementing his legacy in football, a move to Bayern would see him go to a club that is arguably favourites to win a domestic trophy every season. They are well on course to win the Bundesliga again this year and their closest competitors just lost their star striker, Erling Haaland, to Manchester City.

But when it comes to Liverpool, they cannot let go of a player like him. The number of times he has stepped up in big games for us is immense and is arguably already a legend here at the age of 30.

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He has a lot of football still left in him and has shown his versatility in recent weeks when he has deputised for the injured Roberto Firmino at centre-forward. Keeping our star winger is certainly important for us if we aim to target the quadruple again next season and a new contract for Mane in the coming months would be what the fans desire.