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Sadio Mane ignores German reporter as he nears £34.5m Saudi switch

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Sadio Mane has furiously hit back at a reporter who attempted to question the Bayern Munich star on his future, with the forward now closing in on a move to Saudi Arabia.

The Senegalese attacker is not thought to be in Thomas Tuchel’s plans going forward and has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, who already boast Cristiano Ronaldo among their ranks.

Bayern are believed to be keen to cash in on Mane despite only signing him a year ago, with his maiden season in Bavaria something of a disappointment.

But the 31-year-old was in no mood to entertain questions from the press about his future, particularly after facing heavy criticism for his performances last season, and took umbrage when he was approached by several German reporters on Sunday.

Mane was posing for selfies with fans when he was approach by one journalist, with his mood suddenly changing as he was asked for a quick chat about the speculation surrounding him.

‘You kill me every day and now you want me to talk to you guys,’ said an incredulous Mane as he walked off, leaving the reporter stunned.

He was still complaining and muttering to himself as he headed off, saying: ‘Come on, they kill me every day and now they want me to talk? Never.’

Bayern are due to face Manchester City in Tokyo on Wednesday but it remains to be seen if Mane will be involved, with CBS Sports’ James Benge reporting that the former Liverpool man is set to join Al Nassr.

The Saudi side are ready to officially submit a £34.5million transfer fee to Bayern, with Mane receiving the same again in a net annual salary.

He is believed to be ready to leave European football behind and make the move to Saudi Arabia, having grown frustrated with his time in Munich.

Mane netted just seven times and laid on five assists in 25 Bundesliga appearances, with his season disrupted by an injury that also ruled him out of the World Cup.

Although Bayern had high hopes for Mane, he was not signed by Tuchel and is not an ideal fit for his system, with the former Chelsea boss keen to reinvest the funds and put them towards signing top target Harry Kane.

Al Nassr, meanwhile, kickstarted the Saudi recruitment drive when they brought in Ronaldo in January and they have already added Seko Fofana, Alex Telles and Marcelo Brozovic to their increasingly talented squad this summer.

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Transfers

Tottenham have Harry Kane buyback clause, Daniel Levy confirms

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Daniel Levy has confirmed that Tottenham have a buyback clause in Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich contract. The chairman was asked at a Spurs’ fans’ forum on Tuesday night whether the clause existed. “Of course,” he replied. Levy did not offer any detail.

Kane moved to Bayern in August for an initial fee of £100m and Spurs said in a statement that he was “always welcome back … he’s a much-loved and valued member of the Spurs family, for ever in our history.”

Related: FC Hollywood make Kane the star in perfect script for Manchester United

The 30-year-old is focused on his new life at Bayern, where he is under contract until 2027, and it is impossible to say how he might feel about one day returning to play for Spurs. When his transfer to Bayern was all-but agreed, he was told to stay away from the Spurs training ground, meaning there would be no face-to-face goodbyes or the chance to personally collect his belongings. His family could not access their box at the stadium.

Spurs have started the season well, with four wins and a draw from five Premier League games and Kane was asked about them as he prepared for Bayern’s Champions League tie against Manchester United on Wednesday night.

“They’ve had a fantastic start,” he said. “I’m always keeping an eye on them and I’ll keep an eye on Tottenham for the rest of my life. I’m really happy to see the team playing the way they are and to see the fans happy is a great thing. I’m sure they’ll be keen to keep that up. They’ve got a massive game coming up [at Arsenal on Sunday], so for sure I’ll see how they get on over the course of the season.”

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Man United ‘to revive Frenkie de Jong interest next year’

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Manchester United will reportedly make another attempt to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong in 2024.

The Netherlands international was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford during Erik ten Hag’s first transfer window as Red Devils head coach little over one year ago.

Man United are believed to have come to an agreement with Barcelona over a price, but the midfielder made it clear on multiple occasions that he did not want to leave Camp Nou.

The Red Devils boosted their midfield over the summer with the signings of Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat, with the latter widely expected to join on a permanent basis from Fiorentina next year.

However, the club are likely to be in the market for another big-money player in that position 2024, and according to Fichajes, De Jong remains very much a leading transfer target for the 20-time English champions.

De Jong has been a vital player for Barcelona at the start of this season, scoring once in six appearances, and he played 58 minutes of Tuesday’s 5-0 success over Royal Antwerp in the Champions League.

The 26-year-old has another three years left to run on his contract at Camp Nou but has revealed that discussions over a renewal are ongoing.

“My contract renewal? My agent is taking care of that, but I’m happy here,” transfer expert Fabrizio Romano quotes the midfielder as saying.

Romano claims that De Jong is desperate to stay at Camp Nou, but any new deal would almost certainly come with a salary reduction due to the Catalan outfit’s financial problems.

Man United allegedly still believe that they can convince De Jong to make the move to Old Trafford, although a lot could depend on how the season unfolds for the Red Devils.

Ten Hag’s side have lost three of their first five Premier League matches of the season, and they are currently in Germany preparing for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

Barcelona, though, have won each of their last five matches in all competitions, including their Champions League opener at home to Antwerp.

“We’ve started well, I’m happy. We have a very good squad, players with a lot of talent and if we work well and do what we have to do, we can fight for big objectives,” De Jong said after the European success.

The Dutchman has made 189 appearances for Barcelona since arriving from Ajax in the summer of 2019, scoring 16 goals and registering 21 assists in the process.

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Louis van Gaal’s stance on taking over as Germany boss revealed

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Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is keen to become the new manager of the Germany national team, according to reports.

Van Gaal has been out of work since his third stint in charge of the Netherlands, standing down from the role after his nation’s exit at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Dutchman spent two years at Old Trafford between 2014 and 2016 and was famous for his memorable quotes, funny antics and witty behaviour which grabbed headlines and turned him into somewhat of an internet meme.

Van Gaal went viral for thinking Chris Smalling’s name was ‘Mike’ during a press conference while sat next to the player, telling his squad to ‘get horny’ and his iconic dive in front of fourth official Mike Dean on the touchline during a game.

The 72-year-old, who won the FA Cup during his spell at United, is plotting a return to management and it is reported that he is ‘ready to take over’ from Hansi Flick, who was sacked by the German Football Association (DFB) on Sunday.

The DFB are thought to be considering a number of names and former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann – linked to managerial roles at Chelsea and Tottenham this summer – is believed to be the current top candidate.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, is the DFB’s dream choice to replace Flick as they look to secure a new head coach before the country hosts Euro 2024.

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