Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said on Tuesday he was saddened that things didn’t work out for Sadio Mane at the Bavarian club, but believed his departure was “the best solution”.
The Senegal striker, who joined Bayern just 12 months ago, is set to add to the growing number of players heading to Saudi Arabia by signing for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr as part of of a transaction for an amount of 37 million euros.
“Obviously it’s something that we haven’t exploited to its full potential, which is my job and my responsibility, but in this particular situation it was the best solution to untie the knot,” said indicated the former coach of PSG and Chelsea.
“Leaving Bayern hurts me,” Mané told Sky Germany. “I would have liked a different ending.”
Tuchel echoed those sentiments when speaking in Singapore on the eve of his side’s friendly against Liverpool.
“We had a long, big hug and we both agreed we didn’t like what was happening now, but we think it’s for the best in this situation,” the Bayern manager said. .
“Sometimes things don’t go the way everyone wants. Humanly, I have always had a very good relationship with him and it will remain so, ”said Tuchel.
“I totally understand that he feels hurt and I wouldn’t feel happy either if such things happened,” he added.
The German club, still without a center forward since Robert Lewandowski left Barça in 2022, has made Tottenham striker Harry Kane its priority. Bayern representatives are said to have traveled to London to discuss a deal with the Premier League club on Monday.