Liverpool Transfer News: Sadio Mane Agreement Close, Latest Reds Rumours

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is reportedly set to keep the Reds' consistent transfer dealings with Southampton intact, as the club plans to bring Sadio Mane to Anfield in a £30 million deal. 

According to MailOnline's Dominic King, the two clubs have discussed a transfer of the Senegal international, who caught the eye of Klopp with his two goals in the Saints' 3-2 win over Liverpool in March.

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The report stated Southampton would rather not sell Mane in the wake of manager Ronald Koeman's departure for Everton, but a fee of £30 million should be enough to convince the club to sell. The Saints have lost Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert and Nathaniel Clyne to the Reds over the course of the last two summer windows.

Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo is intrigued by the Senegalese forward, but he's not entirely sure whether he's what the Reds need:

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Of his 11 league goals last season, eight of them came in the final eight games of the campaign. He went 16 games without a goal – a run bookended by his strikes, home and away, against the Reds. In his 37 appearances last season, just eight of them saw him find the net.

He can struggle for consistency, as evidenced by being relegated to the bench for a period under Koeman – though that, also, had roots in his desire to move in January. Capable of moments of magic, he can also go through periods without making an impact.

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Sane would add the kind of pace to the attack only youngster Divock Origi possesses right now, and at 24 years old, he still has plenty of room to grow. Per WhoScored.com, he has scored double-digit goals in each of his two Premier League campaigns, but he's never bagged more than 11.

He's versatile enough to play as a striker or a winger, and when he's in the middle of one of his hot streaks, Mane is one of the best forwards in England. Consistency is an issue, however, and the Southampton man is unproven at the very highest level.

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For £30 million, Mane would present a major risk. He might be able to lead the attack of a top club, but that's far from a certainty, and his scoring record indicates he's a good, not great finisher.

Klopp has found plenty of success with speedy wingers-turned-strikers in the past, however. He was the man who transformed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into one of the most coveted forwards in the world, just a few years after the Gabon international failed to make the grade at AC Milan.

Goal's Melissa Reddy outlined the financial details of the deal, revealing some of the money that would move to Southampton would be in bonus form:

One of Klopp's best assets is his ability to assess talent and find players he can coach to a higher level, and while he mostly chased cheaper, unknown options during his time with Borussia Dortmund, his belief Mane could become a far better player should ease the minds of Liverpool supporters.

The German has so far worked wonders with a team that isn't his own, and his exemplary track record in the transfer market earns him the benefit of the doubt. A fee of £30 million is a huge sum to part with, but proven strikers always come at a premium, and the Reds could use another option up front.

In form, Daniel Sturridge is arguably England's best option, but injuries are almost a certainty with the former Chelsea man. Belgium's Christian Benteke isn't a great fit for Klopp's fast-paced style of play, and Origi is still a raw prospect.

Per King, Klopp is also still looking at Udinese's Piotr Zielinski, while Hull City full-back Andy Robertson has emerged as a target due to Leicester City's excessive demands for Ben Chilwell.

Robertson is already a full Scotland international who enjoyed a fine season for the Tigers, and at the age of just 22, he looks like a star of the future.

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