Manchester United are ready to battle it out with their neighbours Manchester City for the signature of the effervescent Senegalese winger Sadio Mane who is currently employed with Southampton, according to Mirror UK. The Senegal No.10 has failed to emulate his form of last season, and the Southampton manager Ronald Koeman is unsure about the winger’s place in his current system, which means that the 23-year-old will be sold if the asking prices are met.
Sadio Mane joined Southampton in 2014 after an impressive two-year spell with Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 45 times for the club in 87 appearances across all competitions. He joined Southampton in a deal which costed the English club around 12 million pounds, which ensured that the player will stay with them until 2018.
He enjoyed a great first season with Southampton which also saw him scoring the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history. But his form has faltered this season and the Southampton boss is thinking that the player is no longer needed in the current squad. This idea has really caught fire as the player has not scored a goal in 15 appearances for the club.
It is reported that Southampton will sell the player, but for nothing short than 30 million pounds. Manchester United and Manchester City are chasing the player for quite a long time, when Koeman was reluctant to sell him, but will see this as a great opportunity to grab the player.
Koeman also spoke about his decision not to include the player in recent games.
“We play a little bit different at the moment.”
“We do not play with three in front, we play with two strikers and that is one reason Mane did not start. In the last few weeks he has been struggling a little bit with his performances.”
Southampton are currently sixth in the Premier League table, just one point separating them from Manchester United.