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Sadio Mane's advisor Bacary Cisse has revealed that the Senegal international's career could have gone in a very different direction had Barcelona acted on Lionel Messi's recommendation. The striker left Liverpool this summer as a modern day legend, sealing a move to Bayern Munich.
He brought the Premier League and Champions League trophies to Anfield under Jurgen Klopp and was loved by the Reds faithful. Speaking on RMC's After Foot show, Mane's advisor Cisse revealed that the 30-year old could have been a Barcelona player last year.
In fact, he was suggested to the Spanish giants by none other than Lionel Messi himself when 'La Pulga' was discussing his own contract. The Senegal international's advisor confirmed the same. He said (via Le10Sport):
"Last year, it could have done it with FC Barcelona too. It was Lionel Messi who wanted Sadio Mane, when it was a question of him extending to Barça. Before he came to Paris, he had given two names: Sadio Mane and an Argentine central defender. It was in June when they were in the middle of the Copa America."
However, the Catalan club were not financially well-placed to pursue any of those two deals that their talisman had hoped for. Eventually, they even had to let go of Lionel Messi due to financial constraints. Cisse added:
"The discussions had started, they had even put Samuel Eto'o in the shot, after that it stopped there. Barça had realised that they could no longer hold out financially"
Lionel Messi had another chance to link-up with Sadio Mane at PSG
The former Barcelona forward could have gotten his wish to play alongside Bayern Munich's latest signing this year as well if the Parisians were not going through a change of personnel.
Bacary Cisse disclosed that PSG were also interested in signing Mane this year, but with sporting director Leonardo on his way out, they weren't too sure about the move.
He said:
Y"es, PSG did 'attack' Sadio. Afterwards, you know that we must not make too much noise in these circumstances because there are negotiations. Leonardo had several contacts with his German agent, they saw each other, they discussed the ins and outs of a possible transfer of Sadio to PSG, but it stopped there. Everyone knows that Leonardo was on an ejection seat, we had to wait."
The former Liverpool striker will wear the number 17 jersey for the Bavarians and is set to earn almost double the salary he was earning at Anfield, as per BILD.
