Mane increasingly likely to leave Bayern

Sadio Mane appears increasingly likely to leave Bayern Munich at the end of his first season at the club, following the recent dressing room incident with teammate Leroy Sane. The former Liverpool star was taken off the squad for Bayern’s Bundesliga clash against Hoffenheim on Saturday, but he has returned to training and should be available for the Manchester City rematch on Wednesday.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, head coach Thomas Tuchel said the 31-year-old had apologized and acted professionally in the aftermath of the incident, but German journalist Florian Plettenberg says a number of players have distanced themselves from Mane and Tuchel has no place for him in his plans for 2023/24.

If so, Mane’s future is extremely uncertain at the moment. There have been suggestions about a potential return to Liverpool, where he spent six very successful years, but given the Merseysiders’ variety of options upfront and the need to strengthen the midfield section on a limited budget, it isn’t likely to happen.