According to a report, Bayern Munich will see the departure of Sadio Mane and Joao Cancelo from the club at the end of the season. Mane, who had a successful six-year stint at Liverpool, joined Bayern last summer for a fee of €32m (£27.8m). Cancelo followed Mane’s path and joined on loan from Manchester City in January, with an option to make the move permanent for €70m (£60.9m).
However, Bayern has reportedly concluded that neither Mane nor Cancelo have long-term futures at the club, leading to their imminent exits this summer.
Mane has had a decent debut season for Bayern, contributing 12 goals and six assists in 37 games. However, he has only started 18 Bundesliga matches and was involved in a well-publicized altercation with Leroy Sane last month, allegedly punching him after Bayern’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat to Manchester City.
Mane was subsequently suspended for one game and fined by the German champions. Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg suggests that Mane’s form and behavior have been impacted since his move from England, pointing to a knee injury prior to the World Cup and a change in his body language. Plettenberg claims that Mane is now viewed critically within the club, making him a potential candidate for sale in the summer.
On the other hand, Cancelo joined Bayern on loan after falling out of favor under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Despite being under contract with City for another four seasons, the 28-year-old’s loan deal at Bayern has not been entirely successful. He has scored one goal and provided six assists in 19 games. Additionally, Cancelo faced backlash from the Etihad Stadium crowd when he played against his parent club in the Champions League.
It remains to be seen where Mane and Cancelo will continue their careers after leaving Bayern Munich. Mane has been linked with a potential return to the Premier League, with Chelsea mentioned as a possible destination. The Senegalese forward has an impressive record of 111 goals and 47 assists in 263 Premier League appearances for Southampton and Liverpool.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding their futures, Sadio Mane and Joao Cancelo are expected to attract interest from clubs as they become available in the transfer market.
