Senegal international footballer and one of the best players of the last generation, Sadio Mane, was one of many who exited European football to head to the Saudi Pro League. After an incredibly fruitful spell with Liverpool, Mane moved to Bayern Munich, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. He then signed for Al-Nassr. However, there are now rumours a move back to European football is potentially on the cards.

Mane, 32, at one stage, was undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, wide-left player in world football. At Liverpool, as part of one of the most feared front threes, which included Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah, he racked up 120 goals and 42 assists in just 269 appearances, winning both the Champions League and the Premier League. There was always going to be a time when he moved on, and he headed to Bayern Munich, where his numbers weren’t that bad, as he helped the club to Bundesliga success. Eventually, the Saudi approach came, and Mane joined up with Al-Nassr, the club Cristiano Ronaldo plays for.

Again, Mane has posted impressive numbers, and this helped Al-Nassr to a second-place finish in the Saudi Pro League. But this has only served to alert other clubs to Mane’s ability to score goals and make assists consistently, and there’s a belief he’s still got what it takes to deliver the goods in Europe, which is why clubs have come calling offering the attack a route back to European Champions League football. His future is now being talked about, and it will be interesting to see of the top sports betting sites, which will be the first to open a market on his next club.

One of the clubs rumoured to have registered an interest in Mane, who has been capped by Senegal 97 times and counting, is Girona. They enjoyed a superb season in La Liga, qualifying for the Champions League, and are now looking to add the necessary quality to allow them to give a good account of themselves in Europe’s top club competition. Mane fits the bill, but there is a significant stumbling block, and it would apply to any likely suitors chasing the Al-Nassr man this summer.

Mane signed a big-money contract with the Saudi Pro League side last August, which runs until 2026. So, there are two years left on his current contract, which is said to be worth around £650,000 per week. By comparison, Girona’s top earners are thought to be on in the region of £100,000 per week, a stunning £550,000 per week less. And Mane would undoubtedly expect to be one of the club’s highest earners if he was to head to Spain.

While it would certainly be great to see Mane back in European football, terrorising right-backs, especially if he can get close to the levels he previously showed at Liverpool. However, the move to the Saudi Pro League, which will be the case with many players who made the switch, could make the possibility seemingly impossible because of the financials involved.