TOKYO (AP) — Bayern Munich’s president confirmed Wednesday that the club is aware of “initial talks” around a reported move for forward Sadio Mané from the German champion to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, where he could team up with Cristiano Ronaldo.
“FC Bayern is informed about this,” club president Herbert Hainer said in Japan during a pre-season tour, in quotes reported by German news agency dpa. “But these are initial talks, you have to wait and see.”
His comments followed a report in German tabloid newspaper Bild that an adviser to Mané would meet representatives of Al-Nassr to discuss a possible deal. A Premier League and Champions League winner with Liverpool, Mané would be the latest in a series of big-name players in Saudi clubs’ signing spree.
The United States and the Netherlands meet again on the Women’s World Cup stage with smaller stakes than the 2019 title game won by the Americans.
Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino scored two minutes apart in the first half to lead Japan to a 2-0 Women’s World Cup victory over Costa Rica on Wednesday, and the Japanese qualified for the knockout stage later when Spain beat Zambia.
Rose Lavelle says she hopes she’s a smarter player in the years since she was a breakout star for the U.S. in the 2019 Women’s World Cup final against the Netherlands.
The Indigenous Football Australia Council has complained to FIFA of an “egregious omission” of First Nations-led organizations in a Women’s World Cup legacy plan.
Mané has two years left on his contract with Bayern after a disappointing and injury-hit first season since joining from Liverpool last year.
The Senegal forward scored 12 times in 38 games for Bayern, but only one of those goals came after a leg injury in November which ruled him out of the World Cup. Mané was also suspended for one game by Bayern for “misconduct” in April after he reportedly struck teammate Leroy Sané in the locker room after a Champions League loss to Manchester City.
On Tuesday, Hainer described Mané’s first season at Bayern as “certainly not satisfactory, neither for him, nor for us,” dpa reported.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
#Bayern #Munich #confirms #initial #talks #reported #Sadio #Mané #move #Saudi #Arabia
