Five players Liverpool could sign to replace Sadio Mane this summer

After falling to defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday, Liverpool’s weekend was made even worse as reports suggested that Sadio Mane will leave the club this summer.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano broke the news, with the Senegal international heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich after six years on Merseyside.

Mane has been one of the Reds’ most important players under Jurgen Klopp. He was the first statement signing, arriving from Southampton for £34 million in 2016, and played a pivotal role as Liverpool claimed were crowned European champions in 2019 and won their first Premier League title the following season.

With the 29-year-old a candidate for the Ballon d’Or this year, it is clear that he will be incredibly hard to replace and any new signing will have very big boots to fill.

With it being reported that Liverpool will look to bring someone in before they let Mane leave the club, we have taken a look at five players that could potentially do a good job at replacing him...

Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele has been heavily linked with Liverpool in recent weeks and Sport has reported that they have made contact with the player over a potential switch.

The Frenchman, who has 13 assists in La Liga this season, is out of contract this summer and looks set to leave Barcelona for free.

While Dembele was once one of the hottest prospects in football, his form in Spain has been rather inconsistent and his attitude has often been criticised.

A move for the 25-year-old could be brilliant if Klopp can get the best out of him, having once tried to bring the winger to Anfeld.

But is it thought they will face plenty of competition for his signature - with Chelsea supposedly eager to make him the first signing of the Todd Boehly era..

The chief issue for Liverpool is Dembele’s salary demands, with the forward thought to earn more than £200,00-per-week at Barcelona - potentially more than any other player at Anfield.

Darwin Nunez

Darwin Nunez has enjoyed an exceptional season for Benfica and has scored 26 goals in 28 league appearances.

The forward has attracted plenty of interest, with Manchester United one club that are very keen on bringing him to England.

With Nunez able to play both through the middle on the left, Liverpool should definitely considering taking advantage of his current situation, with it looking very likely that he will leave Portugal this summer.

It is thought that the Reds would have to fork out around £80 million if they are to snap up the 22-year-old.

Christopher Nkunku

Christopher Nkunku has been a revelation for RB Leipzig this season, scoring 20 goals and assisting another 13 in the Bundesliga.

What makes the Frenchman’s stats even more impressive is that he doesn’t play as a number nine and has been moved around from wing-back to midfield to, where he mostly plays now, as a second striker.

While Nkunku wouldn’t be a direct replacement for Mane, he would certainly guarantee the goal contributions that the Reds would be missing.

Three years after Leipzig signed the 24-year-old for an initial fee of €13 million, Bildhave since claimed that they will listen to offers of around €60 million this summer.

Serge Gnabry

Bayern Munich are reportedly looking to offload Serge Gnabry this summer in order to avoid the attacker running down his contract and leaving on a free next year.

Gnabry has been one of Bayern’s best players over the past few years - scoring 14 goals and assisting another five in the Bundesliga this season.

It looks like Liverpool would face competition from a number of clubs if they were to pursue the German, though with a reported asking price of only £34 million, the Premier League club should definitely consider a move for the former Arsenal youngster.

Arnaut Danjuma

Liverpool have been linked with Arnaut Danjuma this season and could look at making an attempt to sign him.

Danjuma bagged 10 goals in La Liga this season and another six in the Champions League. He could be a very exciting signing for the Reds, with the Dutchman able to play both on the wing and up front.

The 26-year-old failed to register a goal or assist when he was last in the Premeir League with Bournemouth.

However, there is no doubt he will could be a much different player under Klopp and surrounded by the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Mo Salah.