Sadio Mane claims he was 'joking' about comments on his Liverpool future

Sadio Mane has vowed to remain silent until his Liverpool future is resolved after he claimed his most recent comments should have been taken with a pinch of salt.

The Senegal international enjoyed another reputation-enhancing season at Anfield during which he established himself as a leading contender to win the Ballon d’Or.

After six highly successful years at Anfield, however, Mane appears destined to leave amid strong interest from Bayern Munich.

Mane promised he would announce his decision after the Champions League final, but Liverpool’s defeat to Real Madrid delayed the 30-year-old confirming his intentions.

Speaking ahead of Senegal’s World Cup qualifier against Benin earlier this week, Mane fueled speculation he was set to leave Liverpool by declaring he would be influenced by the wishes of his countrymen and women.

He said: ‘Like everyone else, I’m on social media and I see the comments.

‘Isn’t it between 60 to 70% of Senegalese want me to leave Liverpool? I will do what they want.

‘We will see soon! Don’t be in a hurry because we will see this together. The future will tell us.’

Asked again to clarify his intentions after scoring a hat-trick which saw him become Senegal’s leading goalscorer of all-time, the former Southampton forward suggested he was merely joking and would take more time before making a final decision as to where he will play his football next season.

He said: ‘I spoke yesterday while joking with a bit of humour and it was everywhere.

‘I think we’ll stop there. Liverpool is a club I respect a lot. The fans adopted me since day one. Regarding the future, we’ll see.

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