Saints are being reported as being about to offer Sadio Mane a new contract to ward off interest from a list of Clubs that is increasing on a Daily Basis according to the media.

The media have already decided that Sadio Mane is leaving Saints in the summer and they have already decided just who he will be replacing in the Manchester United squad.

But now mid table Chelsea are allegedly about to table a bid, the Stamford Bridge club have big ambitions and the first of those is to overtake Crystal Palace and become the 4th best club in London after Arsenal, Spurs & West Ham, this will be a tough task and they are being linked with Sadio Mane to fire the goals and overhaul the Eagles.

In many respects this is a no lose situation for Saints, Mane still has over 2 1/2 years left of his current 4 year deal, so Saints are under no pressure to sell at the moment, they can sit back and watch the speculation push the price up and if it reaches a stupid level then they can consider whether now is the time to cash in on him.

But they will be just as keen to keep him and therefore offering him a new deal is also a no lose situation, if he signs then they have the player tied up for at least an extra year and therefore maintaining his transfer value, if he declines to sign then they have an idea of what the player will be looking to do going forward and this will play a part in when they choose to cash in.

Saints fans should be prepared for the player himself to be looking to move to another club, after all his departure from Red Bull Salzburg was in similar circumstances with the Austrian club keen to hang on to him but unable to with Saints offering Mane Premier League football and big wages.

Perhaps RB Salzburg did not bear any grudges in that they invited Saints to take part in their pre season tournament this summer, but their supporters certainly did as the entire ground roundly booed Mane everytime he kicked the ball, it seems that they felt he had no loyalty.

The silly season is about to begin, we know that from past experience, but what we should remember is that most media reports are merely speculation, often based on little hard fact, after all Mane's alleged summer move to Old Trafford has subsequently proved to be little more than United using the media to deflect criticism of their transfer dealings after losing Pedro to Chelsea, United fans were unimpressed with Mane's credentials back then and a mere 3 Premier League goals so far this season will have done little to improve that impression.

Manchester United & Chelsea are not looking for players with potential, they are looking to sign the finished article at the highest level, only the truly big names will satisfy their fans.

Photo: Action Images

codge added 13:25 - Nov 23 Sad to say loyalty means nothing anymore, those days are long gone. I have supported Saints since 1957, in those days you never had to worry about it but now it's all about the money, and as for signing a long term contract well that means nothing anymore.Mane will not stay hear mark my word's it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that coming, COYR.
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SanMarco added 14:56 - Nov 23 Can't see why Mane would be more 'loyal' than any of the others that have gone off to pastures new. I agree with the last couple of paragraphs - I don't think Manure or Chelski will come in for him. If they do it will be as a squad player who will get limited game time. Perhaps the difference with the old days is that 1. The 'big' clubs hoover up more such players than they did and 2. Those players now (nearly) always say yes. Calum Chambers is a good example. Why not prove you are a great, not just potentially great, player at Saints and then move as, to an extent, Morgan S did. I know everyone will shout money but it's not as if they are paid peanuts and a footballer is supposed to play football - not sit on a bench for hours on end. If you really loved hairdressing would you take more money to sit around not cutting hair?

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IWOZTHERE added 18:59 - Nov 23 Here we go again! I'm too depressed about the Stoke performance to kick off about this just yet and I'd only be boring you with repetition anyway. Apart from bumping up the price, Chelsea's interest is irrelevant. The club should already have offered Mane (and the other likely targets), lucrative new deals. Selling the odd player doesn't worry me, what does concern me given recent 'windows', is whether the club will EVER stand a chance of breaking up the cartel, losing players in batches as they have, and whether there is any real resolve to end the trend.

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