Sadio Mane plays down Real Madrid transfer link and insists Liverpool is his ‘only concern’

Liverpool star Sadio Mane has insisted he has never considered leaving the club for Real Madrid, saying the Reds are his ‘only concern’.

Real were reported have a strong interest in the Senegal international after he scored against them in last season’s Champions League final.

It led to fears from supporters that another of their key players could be off to Spain following Philippe Coutinho’s move to Barcelona, but Mane put the speculation to bed by signing a new contract in November to keep him at Anfield until 2023.

All three of Liverpool’s forward trio have been linked with moves away over the past 12 months, with Mohamed Salah also linked to Real Madrid and Roberto Firmino a reported target for Barcelona.

But, all three players committed to the Reds by signing new deals last year.

And Mane insists he is ‘very happy’ on Merseyside and only has one club in his thoughts.

In an interview with World Soccer magazine, he said: “Speculation is part of football. You just learn to live with it and not to take it too seriously.

“All I can say is that my only concern is Liverpool.

“Mo, Bobby… it seemed like everyone was signing contracts and they were saying: ‘Hey Sadio, when are you going to sign?’ I said to each of them: ‘Don’t worry, bro, I will sign’.

“And what did I do? I signed… so they are pleased now!

“I’m very happy here and I think people are happy with me too. We want to write our names alongside the many great ones in the story of this club. Hopefully it’s the beginning of something special.”

Mane has played a big role for Liverpool since his £30million arrival from Southampton in 2016 and has been one of the Reds’ key players in this season’s title pursuit – scoring 10 goals.

Jurgen Klopp’s side currently sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, and the 26-year-old forward said he is desperate to end the club’s wait for the trophy this year.

He added: “I can’t wait to lift a trophy with Liverpool. I know the fans are desperate for us to win the Premier League.

“It would be an amazing moment for the club. It has been far too long for a team the size of Liverpool.

“We believe we are heading in the right direction, but there are some very tough rivals – City were unbelievable last season and very strong again – but why not?”

Mane also hailed team-mates Salah and Firmino and their almost telepathic partnership in Liverpool’s attack.

The trio have scored 131 goals between them for Liverpool since the Egyptian King’s arrival 18 months ago, but Mane believes there is much more to come from them.

“I think it just happened naturally,” he said. “When you have players like Bobby and Mo they just make everything easier.

“We just seem to instinctively know each other’s movement and I think you can see that we enjoy playing together.

“We want to get even better and score even more goals. Our best is still to come.”