With Sadio Mane reportedly set to leave Bayern Munich after just one season, one of his old club Liverpool's biggest rivals are now said to have emerged as a next possible destination for the Senegalese.
The 31-year-old's move to Germany from Liverpool at the beginning of this campaign has not gone as planned for the Lions of Teranga talisman and the Bundesliga giants, with the player having been linked with a sudden departure just one season into his three-year deal.
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Having scored 120 goals in 269 appearances for the Reds, expectations were high when the Senegal international joined his new club for a sizeable fee of £35.1 million in July 2022.
Having struggled to deliver on the pitch since, though, Mane's troubles really began to unravel in March when he punched his teammate Leroy Sane in the face after the pair got into a heated exchange of words in the dressing room.
The incident is believed to have caused a divide in the Bayern squad, with many players in the side convinced the African forward will not last long at the club following his actions.
As such, a return to England has been mooted, with Chelsea and Newcastle United understood to have shown interest in the 2022 CAF African Footballer of The Year, although it is also reported that the Bambali native has no intentions of joining the Magpies.
However, Mane may have a shock new escape route, one that would not sit well with many Liverpool supporters.
Manchester United are now said to have emerged as a transfer option for the player, according to the Daily Mirror.
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It is claimed the Red Devils are monitoring the situation in Bavaria closely, with it recently being reported that Mane has no future at Bayern after coming off the bench once again in their Bundesliga clash against Schalke on the weekend.
The Manchester club, meanwhile, are said to be uncertain about Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho's futures at Old Trafford, and Mane could provide the necessary cover should one of the aforementioned pair depart in the next window.
The Red Devils have a long-standing interest in the African attacker, having made an attempt to sign him from Southampton before he joined the Reds in 2016.
"I have to say, I was really close to going to Manchester United," Mane told the Daily Telegraph last year.
"I had the contract there. I had it all agreed. It was all ready, but instead, I thought, 'No, I want to go to Liverpool.'"
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