Lothar Matthäus doesn’t feel Sadio Mane would be a viable Robert Lewandowski replacement at Bayern Munich

Things have moved relatively quickly, but it’s looking increasingly likely that Liverpool’s Sadio Mane is Bayern Munich’s main target to replace Robert Lewandowski, who has made it clear that his “story at Bayern is over.” Naturally, there have been other names linked with replacing the Polish ace including Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku and VfB Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic, but Mane appears to be the main target and the two clubs now just need to negotiate a proper transfer fee. Liverpool have asked for 50 million euros while Bayern has only offered 20, so there’s a lot of negotiating left before a move can materialize this summer.

While there is a lot of excitement at the prospect of Mane potentially becoming a Bayern Munich player, not everyone is entirely convinced that he will be a proper replacement for Lewandowski. There is still the possibility for Bayern’s number 9 to play out the last season on his current contract before leaving, but he’s made it pretty clear that he would prefer a move this summer. Nonetheless, Bayern need to replace their talisman, but in a recent Sky column, Lothar Matthäus said that he feels Mane is not the replacement Bayern needs.

“Apart from the fact that there is no replacement for the Pole in the world, I don’t see Mané as a center forward, but on the win,” Matthäus wrote in his column, despite saying the Senegal international would be “an absolute super transfer” and a “wonderful attraction for the whole Bundesliga.” (via Abendzeitung)

On the subject of Stuttgart’s Kalajdzic, Matthäus wrote that he could be a more like for like replacement for Lewandowski as an outright striker. “He probably won’t score 40 goals, but he will definitely score 25,” he said of the Austrian striker.

Borussia Dortmund is also said to be interested in him and reports have suggested that he prefers a move there, but it remains to be seen what he’ll actually decide to do. His contract at Stuttgart next summer, much like Lewandowski’s at Bayern.

If Mane was to join Bayern, there would also be a surplus of wingers at the club since Julian Nagelsmann already has Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, and Marcel Sabitzer at his disposal, though the first three of said players are the outright wingers. Even Thomas Muller has sometimes been used in wider roles as opposed to the number 10 role.

Interested in a detailed discussion of the Sadio Mane transfer and what he brings to Bayern Munich? Why not check out the most recent episode of our podcast? We talk about the transfer itself, a potential system change by Julian Nagelsmann, and more. Listen to it below or at this link.