Jürgen Klopp praised Sadio Mané after Bayern move: “One of Liverpool's greatest”

Liverpool's German manager Jürgen Klopp gave a positive assessment of the handling of Sadio Mané's transfer to Bayern Munich. "I like how it happened because it was completely clean," Klopp said in an interview on the club's website.

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He said striker Mané and his agent communicated early on the 30 year-old's desire for a change of scenery. "They wanted to find a new challenge, a new club. Negotiations are never easy, everything goes well until you talk about money. But then that worked out very well."

At the same time, Klopp praised Mané, with whom he won the Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Premier League and both domestic Cups.

“He leaves with our gratitude and our love,” Liverpool’s manager said. “He leaves with his status among the greats guaranteed. And yes, he leaves in a moment where he is one of the best players in world football. But we must not dwell on what we now lose, instead celebrate what we were privileged to have. The goals he scored, the trophies he won; a legend, for sure, but also a modern-day Liverpool icon.”

The German manager continued: ”What a player. A world-class player. He's also a Liverpool legend, one of the all-time Premier League greats, I would say, with the numbers he has. And also a fantastic human being.”

Klopp acknowledged Mané as one of the greatest

"It's a big moment - there is no point in anyone trying to pretend otherwise," Klopp said. "One of Liverpool's greatest-ever players is leaving and we must acknowledge how significant this is."

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