Liverpool have opened talks with Sadio Mané over a new long-term contract as manager Jürgen Klopp looks to tie down the final member of the Reds irreplaceable front-three.

The contract extension is a testament to the importance of Mané to this Liverpool side and the importance of keeping another crucial member of the sides is evident with Mané set to join Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in committing their long-term futures to Anfield.

The Senegal international is currently tied down to the club until 2021 after signing a five-year-contract following his £34 million move from Southampton back in 2016.

Mané quickly emerged as one of Liverpool's star players scooping the Player's player and Player of the Year awards in the club's end of season awards in his debut season during the 2016/17 campaign.

The Reds want to reward the 26-year-old winger for another impressive showing this season after Mané fired 20 goals in all competitions this campaign including an impressive hat-trick against Porto as well as firing the equalising goal in the Champions League final.

Both Salah and Firmino have newly improved contracts that commit their futures with the club until 2023 and now Mané looks to do the same.

Mané the final piece of the contract puzzle

Klopp has proved once again his significance to persuading Liverpool's top-players to pledge their peak years to the club and it could be a turning point in the Reds potentially losing their biggest stars to other European teams as they have done in the past.

Liverpool's German manager spoke about the importance of his top players committing their futures to Anfield and highlights the huge progress shown with the Reds since his appointment back in 2015.

“When I have spoken about the mood in the club, it's not only in the stands - we are Liverpool as a team and the boys want to be part of it”

"That's really cool and it's a big achievement for the club because these boys, Bobby Firmino, Mo Salah and Sadio Mané, and a lot of the others as well, could play for pretty much any team in the world," Klopp explained.

"That's how it is and a good sign for the club. It is an improved situation that these players don't use us and then go. It's cool but now we all together have to deliver. Sign your contracts but now, go again.”

“You cannot replace Phil Coutinho"

The deal will ensure Liverpool's attacking trio will be going nowhere this summer and shows the faith the players have in their manager as all three forwards have established themselves to make one of the most formidable attacks in Europe.

The importance of the player's to this side has seen Liverpool comfortably adapt to the loss of Philippe Coutinho who was sold to Barcelona for £142 million in January.

Despite the loss of Coutinho, Liverpool have coped magnificently, securing another top-four finish as well as reaching their first Champions League final in eleven years.

The departure of the Brazilian also ensured Salah established himself as the usurper for the star-player title at Anfield with the Egyptian international scoring 44 goals for the Reds last season as well as scooping the PFA and FWA Footballer of the Year award as well as the Premier League golden boot.

Despite the Reds coping effortlessly with the absence of Coutinho, Klopp still ensures that losing any player with the quality of the Barcelona midfielder is still a substantial loss and replacing him was impossible.

“You cannot replace Phil Coutinho with exactly the same kind of player. He's Phil Coutinho. He has a specific style of play, tactically an outstanding player, can play as the wing, the 10, the 8 - really great,” Klopp said.

“I don't want to put one of my players in the position where people will now say constantly 'he's the Phil replacement'.

“I think the biggest thing we did in the second half of last season was that we didn't need to speak too much about Phil. That wasn't clear in January. How could we have known that? We don't need to replace Phil. We need to make a squad for the next year. Out there on the market, there isn't a Phil Coutinho. But there are a lot of good players and we have brought a few of them in.”

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About the author
Joshua Kerr
Third-year Sports Journalism student at Staffordshire University, contributing to Vavel UK since April 2017.