Klopp Issues Apology to Sadio Mané Amid Surprising Man Utd Transfer Rumors

Sadio Mane has disclosed that Jurgen Klopp said sorry to him for being unable to bring him to Borussia Dortmund before his transfer from Southampton to Liverpool.

The Senegalese attacker had a distinguished eight-year spell on Merseyside after Klopp secured his signature from the Saints in 2016, but the pair appeared fated to join forces in Germany’s top flight much earlier. Klopp was managing Dortmund in 2014 when he identified Mane, who was flourishing at Red Bull Salzburg, as ideal for his intense pressing system.

A transfer ultimately fell through at that point, though, with Mane moving to Southampton instead before Klopp arrived at Liverpool the next year as Brendan Rodgers’ replacement.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast on Thursday, Mane revealed: “I met Klopp. He wanted to bring me to Dortmund, but it didn’t work out.”

The duo reunited two years afterwards in the Premier League, with Klopp remaining determined to collaborate with Mane. Mane continued: “So when he was in Liverpool, and I was also making my way, I go to Southampton. And that was, ‘OK, we meet again.’

“He called me. He said, ‘Listen, it didn’t work out. It was my fault. So what do you think? We work again or?’ And then I go to meet [Mauricio] Pochettino [at Tottenham]. I say, ‘OK, so make sure you agree with my agent, everything. I will come to Tottenham.’ And I come back home, three days after, Klopp called me. I say, ‘This is my Klopp. This is the right… this is what I want.’

“I say, ‘I give you my word. Make sure, some clubs want me, but no, I’m coming there.’ And at the time Liverpool was not even Champions League; Tottenham was playing Champions League.”

He also revealed that Klopp apologized for failing to bring him to Dortmund in 2014. He added: “Klopp called me. First of all, I say, ‘Coach…’ He said, ‘How are you? It was my fault, you didn’t come to Dortmund.’

“Because, you know, I wanted to come there. I met him first. I was not happy. And he apologized for this. And he said, ‘We will build the team no one wants to play against. And then, if we grow up together, you will play every game.'”

Did Sadio Mane almost join Manchester United?

Following his switch to Liverpool in 2016, Mane went on to score 120 goals and provide 46 assists for the Reds across 269 games in all competitions. But his career trajectory might have been entirely different had Manchester United secured his signature.

Discussing why the Old Trafford move collapsed, he explained: “Manchester United called me that time, the same time. I was talking to [Louis] Van Gaal. When they failed to get me, they bought [Anthony] Martial. Because he called me – Van Gaal called me. He said, ‘Mane, how are you? What are you doing? How is…?’ I said, ‘I’m good.’ He said, ‘I want you to come to Manchester United.’

“I said, ‘Really?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘OK. Now I’m talking to my agent. We’ll see what is the best’ – because [Van Gaal said], ‘I know you’re a good player and you can help the team, and we can help you also to become better players.'”

Yet Mane revealed that the abundance of attacking options at United and Van Gaal’s response to a crucial question ultimately deterred him from joining the Red Devils.

Mane continued: “And then I said, ‘OK, so my question: you have [Memphis] Depay, you have [Wayne] Rooney, you have [Angel] Di Maria, you have [Robin] Van Persie, I think the same. So where am I going to play?’ That was my question, because me, I want to play.

“He said, ‘I know your talent, you’re good. But if you do good training, good impression, you will play. But we have another player, which is also good.’

“I was not convinced about his explanation. And a few days after, the club called me. So I was waiting with my agent and my family. I talked to the coach, but he told me that I will play if I’m good; if not… But at the time, me, I was not ready, I can say. I was young. I still needed someone to help me more. And one or two more years to become what I want to be. Because I was still in Southampton, I was not consistent.

“And then we said, ‘OK, we’ll see.’ Because maybe Tottenham, I have a meeting with Tottenham. At the same time, Pochettino called him. He said, ‘I want to have Sadio to come to Tottenham training ground.’

“And then I go to Tottenham training ground one week after. And I was… I see the facility, I meet the coach, I talk to him. And I was more convinced than the Man United project. Because Man U was too many… the problem was too many big players.”