Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has hinted at looking for a striker that will improve the club’s attacking power and can play on either flank and this is seemingly not far from Sadio Mane.
Having seen first-hand just how effective Mane could be when he scored against Los Blancos in the 2018 Champions League final, Zidane has been enamoured with the flexibility he gives the team he plays in.
As MARCA has made clear, the French coach has made a request that the forward be signed in the summer.
Mane is currently living through his best ever period at Anfield, having scored a vital brace for Liverpool in the Champions League victory over Bayern Munich.
Jurgen Klopp may have found it difficult to use Mane initially, preferring to select him in a wide right position in their first season together, however he now trusts the Senegal international to be Liverpool‘s main creative force from the left.
He can change games with his incredible turn of pace, he takes the ball well into feet and he can make defenders miserable.
These attributes have long been present in Mane‘s game, even back to his time with Southampton, but it’s the ability to influence matches at the highest level that shows his development.
Zidane‘s faith in Karim Benzema is unwavering, and Mane is seen as a player who could be a perfect partner for the former Lyon goalscorer.
He generates space for his teammates without losing his own goalscoring ability and Liverpool‘s own statistics from the 2018/19 season show that the winger has participated in 30 percent of the goals the Merseyside club have scored this term.
Mane would be a wildcard in attack for Los Merengues as you never quite know for sure what he will do, but you can be sure it will be spectacular.
This level of unpredictability needs to return to Real Madrid‘s attack and Benzema being flanked by both Mane and Vinicius could be an incredibly exciting prospect.