Real Madrid: 5 big-name attacking players to sign next summer

Liverpool LW Sadio Mane

While I do not think Sadio Mane is a likely option for Real Madrid in 2021, I do think he is a player to keep on the radar. Mane is a step below Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in terms of quality and future upside, but he is the epitome of a team player. The Liverpool superstar works harder than maybe any other attacking player on the planet. His movement off the ball is relentless and causes so many problems for defenses. Look at what he did to Bayern Munich in the 2018-2019 UEFA Champions League.

Mane is the type of wide forward who can score 20 goals in a season. The 2019 African Footballer of the Year did exactly that in 2018-2019 and then he scored 18 goals last season. Mane accomplished this despite not being the main goal-scoring wide forward in the team, as Mohamed Salah plays that role for the Reds.

The Senegal international plays the same position as Eden Hazard, so that complicates the deal along with his age and importance to Liverpool, who are still shooting for titles with their experienced core of attackers intact.

Mane is a wild card, but he is a player Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid respect. Everyone in football should have the utmost respect for Mane, because he is an efficient goal-scorer despite doing so much off-ball work. Zidane requires his wide forwards to track back and work for the team, and Mane is even more adept at this than Rodrygo Goes, for example.

I don’t see a deal for Mane being likely, but I do think it is a move Florentino Perez should consider. Mane can play on the right side if needed, and his production is close to sure-fire. He has done it at the absolute highest level for Liverpool for two years.