Sadio Mane has put pen-to-paper on a five-year-deal to complete a £30 million switch to Liverpool, the club confirmed on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old forwards, who joins from Southampton where he scored 25 goals in 75 Premier League appearances across the last two seasons, completed a medical on Merseyside on Monday without any hitches after the two clubs had agreed a fee over the weekend.

He inked a contract with the Reds on Tuesday to become the club's third-most expensive signing, behind only Andy Carroll who cost £35 million and £32.5 million striker Christian Benteke.

Taking the No.19 shirt, Mane becomes Jürgen Klopp's fourth permanent signing in charge of Liverpool - following Marko Grujic, Joel Matip and Loris Karius, and he's also the fifth player to swap the South Coast for Anfield since 2014.

Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne have all made the same journey north from St Mary's in the last two years, with all bar Lambert still at the club.

Mane becomes Klopp's fourth signing at Anfield

Mane will don the No.19 shirt for the Reds in 2016-17. (Picture: Getty Images)
Mane will don the No.19 shirt for the Reds in 2016-17. (Picture: Getty Images)

Senegal international Mane, who scored four times in three appearances against the Reds last term, has long been a player that Klopp has kept a watchful eye over. 

The German has admired his talents since Mane played regularly at Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg, with Klopp then having close contacts at the club when Borussia Dortmund manager.

A right-footed winger capable of playing anywhere behind the striker, Mane will join up with his new teammates as early as this Saturday when they begin pre-season training at Melwood just six days before their first friendly at Tranmere Rovers.

Although the Reds have a whole host of options in attacking midfield, Mane appears to bring qualities which Klopp feels are lacking in his squad - namely width and pace - to add different dimensions to his attack for the 2016-17 season.

Mane had been at Southampton since the summer of 2014, when he was discussed as a target by Liverpool, only for then manager Brendan Rodgers to look elsewhere. He instead joined the Saints for nearly £12 million and quickly became a key player.

He remains the Premier League's fastest ever hat-trick goalscorer, putting three past Aston Villa in just 176 seconds in May 2015 - and struck 11 goals and six assists in the league last season. He will officially become a Liverpool player on July 1.

The club are convinced that any deal will not exceed over £30 million, although some sources quoted a final fee of around £34 million - which would make him their second-highest ever signing.

But Liverpool have denied those suggestions, insisting that even with add-ons in the deal - that were included after Southampton signed Mane's replacement in £11 million Nathan Redmond - the feel will not rise above £30 million.

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About the author
Charlie Malam
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.