Liverpool forward Sadio Mane insists he never gave any consideration to a move to Real Madrid last summer.
The Senegal international emerged as a surprise transfer target for Madrid at the end of last season when the Spanish side beat Liverpool in the Champions League final.
Then-Madrid manage Zinedine Zidane reportedly wanted to replace Gareth Bale with the Mane before resigning less than a week after defeating Liverpool.
Zidane’s shock departure put an end to any links between Madrid and Mane but the 26-year-old insists he never considered leaving Liverpool in the summer.
“Speculation is part of football,” he told World Soccer, via the London Evening Standard. “You just learn to live with it and not to take it too seriously.
“All I can say is that my only concern is Liverpool. Mo, Bobby.. it seemed like everyone was signing new contracts and they were saying: ‘Hey Sadio, when are you going to sign?’ I said to each of them: ‘Don’t worry bro, I will sign’.
“And what did I do? I signed… sot why are pleased now! I am very happy here and I think people are happy with me too. We want to write our names alongside the many great ones in the story of this club. Hopefully it’s the beginning of something special.”
Mane was awarded the Liverpool No.10 shirt this season before going on to pen a new five-year deal with the club in November.
Mane has been in sublime form for the Reds this season and has played an integral part in their four-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
The Liverpool star has scored nine goals in 21 league appearances and won the WhoScored Man of the Match award on four occasions.
In fact, only Mohamed Salah (7.74) and Virgil van Dijk (7.37) have higher WhoScored ratings than Mane (7.32) of all Liverpool players in the Premier League this season.
