"I can't see it" - Danny Murphy claims Liverpool will not re-sign former player this summer

Pundit Danny Murphy doesn't think that Liverpool will re-sign Sadio Mane if he is deemed surplus to requirements at Bayern Munich this summer.

The Senegal international moved to Bavaria from Liverpool last summer for a fee of £35 million including add-ons. However, he has failed to perform at the level expected of him at Bayern.

Things took a sour turn last month when Mane punched teammate Leroy Sane after a 3-0 first-leg UEFA Champions League quarter-final defeat against Manchester City. He was slapped with a club-record £350,000 fine and suspended for one game.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United are reportedly linked with a move for the 31-year-old. Murphy believes that while Liverpool fans would welcome him with open arms, the club's priorities lie in central midfield.

Murphy, who played as a midfielder for Liverpool, told talkSPORT:

"I think the fans would take him, but you would have to get rid of someone. They have five forward, or six even, and that is a huge chunk of their budget on a player and position they don’t need. They need midfielders. So I can’t see it."

Liverpool are in urgent need of strengthening their midfield. Jordan Henderson (32) and Fabinho lack competition, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner will leave on free transfers this summer.

Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, has a plethora of attackers at his disposal. Despite Roberto Firmino's impending exit, the Reds have Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota at their disposal.

---

Henderson 'confident' that Liverpool will compete at their usual level next season

For a team chasing the quadruple last season until May, Liverpool's current campaign has been a disappointment.

They are out of all cup competitions and find themselves outside the top four. They trail Newcastle United and Manchester United, who are third and fourth respectively, by a solitary point and have played one more game.

They are still in line to finish in the top four with two games remaining in the season. But just fighting for a UEFA Champions League is not good enough for their fans anymore.

Jordan Henderson believes the club will be back fighting for important titles next season. He recently said in an interview, via the Independent:

"I’m confident we can reach the levels we are capable of again, definitely. We have shown that over the past six or seven games and it’s about continuing on that path from now until the end of the season and (next season) pick up where we left off hopefully."

In the last five seasons, Liverpool have won every major trophy on offer, finishing runners-up twice each in the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League.