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Sadio Mane’s imminent move to Bayern Munich will represent a boost not only for the German champions but the Bundesliga as a whole, according to the forward’s former Liverpool team-mate Loris Karius.
Mane is set to join Bayern after Julian Nagelsmann’s club agreed a €41million (£35.2million) deal to sign the dynamic attacker last week.
The Senegal international, who has helped his country to the Africa Cup of Nations title and World Cup qualification as well as winning two domestic cups with Liverpool in 2022, had just one year remaining on his contract at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp will offload Mane, who scored 23 goals in all competitions in the 2021-22 season, after signing Benfica forward Darwin Nunez last week.
Karius, who joined Liverpool in the same 2016 transfer window as Mane, believes the 30-year-old will have no issues settling in at the Allianz Arena.
“It would be a crazy transfer for Bayern, because he’s one of the top players at Liverpool,” the goalkeeper told Sky Sports in Germany.
“If Bayern Munich manages to sign someone like him, then you can only congratulate them and the Bundesliga too. It would be another star in the league, so I would be very happy for the Bundesliga.
“Sadio Mane is very reserved, very down to earth. He also speaks a bit of German from his time in [RB] Salzburg. I’ve always got along very well with him, actually everyone. Should he come to Germany, he won’t have any problems adapting.”
Karius’ own permanent Liverpool departure was only announced earlier this month, with the German having featured 49 times for the Reds after joining from Mainz.
Now aged 28 and having made his most recent competitive appearance during a loan spell at Union Berlin in February 2021, Karius is looking forward to finding a new home, but remains grateful for his time at Liverpool.
“There were ups and downs. It’s part of the game, that’s football, but I’ve developed as a person,” he said.
Karius added: “I’ll take my determination with me to my next job.
“It’s about having a good feeling. The club can be in Germany, but also abroad. I just have to feel that the chemistry with those responsible is right, that they have a good feeling about me, and I have a good feeling with them.”
