Ally McCoist fully agrees with Paul Merson on Sadio Mane £35m Liverpool transfer to Bayern Munich

It's a departure that Kopites aplenty are lamenting.

Sadio Mane is poised to imminently bring the curtain down on his Liverpool career.

After six years at Anfield, winning every trophy possible and helping put the Reds back to the summit of European football, the end is nigh.

Mane's set to join Bayern Munich in a deal that could be worth up to £35 million.

Indeed, the Senegal international has opted not to pen a new contract with Liverpool. His current deal expires next summer.

Instead, he's primed to embark on a new challenge in the Bundesliga and reportedly will undergo his medical today.

But there are large sections of both supporters and the media who're baffled why Mane has picked Bayern over Liverpool.

There's a feeling that the forward is not upgrading clubs - and that’s certainly what Ally McCoist thinks.

What’s been said

The Rangers legend told talkSPORT: “Why is he doing it? Is it for financial reasons? I don't know. That's still the question we can't answer.

“Is it because he wants to play in another country? Possibly. Is he going to a better league? No. Is he going to a more competitive league? No. Is he going to a better team? No.

“I find it very strange. The only thing I can see is the lure of the size of Bayern Munich. Is that something he's always wanted to do?

“I could understand it more if it was a Real Madrid or a Barcelona. I could understand that a little bit more because of the lure of one of those big clubs, particularly Real Madrid.

“I don't get it. Maybe he just wants a fresh challenge and feels he's a little bit stale. That, I can appreciate.”

‘It is a brave move’

McCoist isn't the only pundit who can't fathom why Mane is picking Bayern over Liverpool.

Speaking to the Daily Star earlier this month, Paul Merson believes the ex-Southampton attacker is making a ‘brave move’.

He said: “It seems clear Sadio Mane has his heart set on a move to Bayern Munich but I can’t for the life of me see why. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence and there are no guarantees that he will be as successful in Germany as he has been with Liverpool.

“Since his arrival from Southampton six years ago, Liverpool have played a way that suits his game and goals could dry up in a different set-up and a different league. It is a brave move to make if he wants a fresh challenge and is backing himself to make a success of it.

“His relationship with Klopp and the club has been so good that the club will have known about this for a while and they will have been planning to recover and renew up front.”