Messi wanted Sadio Mane to join Barcelona – Cisse

Sadio Mane’s advisor, Bacary Cisse, has revealed that former Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, wanted the Senegal international at Camp Nou last year.

Mane left Liverpool this summer, sealing a move to Bayern Munich.

However, his career could have gone in a very different direction had Barcelona acted on Messi’s recommendation in the past, according to Cisse.

Speaking on RMC’s After Foot show, Cisse said, “Last year, he could have done it with FC Barcelona too. It was Lionel Messi who wanted Sadio Mane, when it was a question of him extending to Barça. Before he came to Paris, he had given two names: Sadio Mane and an Argentine central defender.

“It was in June when they were in the middle of the Copa America.”

However, Barcelona were not financially well-placed to pursue any of those two deals that their talisman had hoped for.

Eventually, the Catalan even had to let go of Messi, who departed the club on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain due to financial constraints.