Liverpool have identified Southampton winger Sadio Mane as their top target for the summer and want to fund much of the move by selling Christian Benteke, according to the BBC.
Jurgen Klopp is keen to add attacking thrust to his Liverpool squad next season and has identified the 24-year-old winger as his prime target for the transfer window.
However, Southampton are expected to be tough negotiators and will be looking to extract the highest transfer fee possible for one of the top attacking talents in their squad.
Liverpool are expected to hold talks with the Saints over the next few days over a proposed deal for the winger, but the fee is expected to be a sticking point between the clubs.
While the Reds are ready to shell out up to £30m for the Senegal international, the south coast club are expected to hold out for a fee in the region of £40m, a number beyond Liverpool’s price range.
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Despite the difference between the figures, Liverpool are hoping to negotiate a deal for the winger in the coming months and convince the Saints to accept a more acceptable fee for the player.
The Reds will look to fund much of the deal by selling Benteke, who they snapped up from Aston Villa for £32.5m just last summer.
Benteke quickly fell out of favour at Anfield following the arrival of Klopp in October last year.
The deal could also face a major hurdle as Southampton have been without a manager since Ronald Koeman left for Everton, and any major transfer decision could hinge on the new man in charge of the club.
Southampton signed Mane from Red Bull Salzburg in 2014 for a fee of around £10m.
