Cristiano Ronaldo finds new ally, as Liverpool foils Sadio Mane reunion

Liverpool will be denied the opportunity to have an emotional reunion with Sadio Mane in Singapore as the player will have already left Bayern Munich by then. The Reds are scheduled to play Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly at the Singapore National Stadium on August 2, but Mane is set to depart the German club.

Mane joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool last year for a fee of £27 million, rising to £35 million. Despite scoring 23 goals in his final Premier League season before the move, Mane struggled to perform for Bayern under Julian Nagelsmann or Thomas Tuchel. He even got into a heated altercation with Leroy Sane after a Champions League loss to Manchester City. Mane is now on his way to Saudi Arabia.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday that Mane was in advanced talks with Cristiano Ronaldo’s club, Al Nassr, and a deal was getting closer. Sky Sport Germany also confirmed that the formalities of the transfer should be completed in the next few days. It is understood that an agreement has been reached, and Mane will undergo a medical soon.

As a result, Mane will miss out on reuniting with his former Liverpool teammates in Singapore. Bayern will travel to Singapore on Sunday, while Mane will head to the Middle East to finalize his move to Al Nassr.

Although Mane had previously expressed his loyalty to Liverpool, Al Nassr was eager to complete the deal quickly. The Saudi Pro League season begins on August 14, and Al Nassr will face Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq, who recently signed Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. Mane will at least have the opportunity to reunite with the two ex-Liverpool captains on that evening.

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Al Nassr is expected to pay around £34 million for Mane, who will earn a substantial contract with the club. Ronaldo is estimated to earn £171 million a year at Al Nassr, which has also made other notable signings this summer. Mane will be Ronaldo’s new attacking partner as they aim to challenge for the league title and compete against rivals Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli.