Tottenham Hotspur would not meet Sadio Mane's wage demands last summer, following talks with the now Liverpool forward, according to the Times.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is a firm fan of the Senegal international and attempted to beat Liverpool to his signature.
Mane even visited Tottenham's training ground for talks, but the White Hart Lane outfit were unwilling to meet his wage demands, allowing Jurgen Klopp to take him to Liverpool.
Pochettino, it is claimed, tried to persuade Tottenham to meet Mane's demands, but failed.
Mane has since become a key man under Klopp at Liverpool and the club suffered badly during his absence at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
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Now back at Anfield, Mane will hope to pile pain on Spurs later today when Liverpool host Pochettino's men.
But Liverpool head into the game in poor form, having won just one of their last ten matched in all competitions.
The Reds, who opted against making even a single signing in the January transfer window, are in freefall.
