The PR manager of former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has revealed why Bayern Munich decided to sell the 31-year-old to Al-Nassr this summer.
Bacary Cisse claims that Mane’s exit was not for footballing reasons but because the Bundesliga champions couldn’t understand how an African star was their highest-paid player.
The Senegal international moved to Bayern from Liverpool last summer in a deal worth £35m and was reportedly given an annual salary of more than £17m. He struggled to make an impact at the club after scoring just 12 goals for the club.
His bust-up with club teammate Leroy Sane during their Champions League defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium was one of the low points of Mane’s career in Germany.
He completed his move to the Saudi Pro League side last Tuesday and would earn a staggering £34m-a-year (£650,000-a-week) – teaming up with Cristian Ronaldo. The club has been busy in the transfer market and has also brought in the likes of Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles.
“It wasn’t a footballing decision (to sell him),’ Cisse told After Foot RMC. “Sadio’s salary bothered the Germans, they didn’t understand how an African joins the club and becomes the top earner ahead of everyone, so they wanted to get rid of him.
“They never called the player’s representatives. They never told Sadio face-to-face that they wanted to get rid of him. They just sent (Thomas) Tuchel to tell him that he will be a third choice left winger. Â
“Sadio has nothing to prove to the Germans. He didn’t become what he’s become thanks to Bayern. It was thanks to Liverpool. Bayern were ungrateful. They were paying an African all this money, and that hurt them.”
The PR manager added: “He (Mane)Â was professional until the end. But the people in charge at Bayern weren’t fair.Â
“They first leaked to the media they were ready to sell him for €20m (£17.3m). But after he returned to training and they saw he was doing well, they raised the price to €30m (£25.9m).
“Sadio didn’t steal his money. From the first meeting with Bayern, he gave them his word that he would join, without talking about the salary. His representatives negotiated that salary for him.”
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