Sadio Mane's agent says four other clubs tried to sign Liverpool forward

Sadio Mane's agent has revealed that four other clubs tried to sign his client before he decided to join Liverpool last summer.

Senegal forward Mane, 24, joined the Reds from Southampton for £34m ($43m) in June and has excelled in his first season at Anfield, scoring 11 goals in 22 league appearances.

He netted a brace as Liverpool ended a five-game winless run with a 2-0 win over Tottenham on 11 February.

Speaking after the Tottenham match, Mane's agent, Bjorn Bezemer, denied claims that the Senegal international's summer move to Anfield was motivated by money.

"Sadio had five offers in the summer and financially all of them were good," he told the Guardian.

"We wanted the right team, with the right coach at the right moment to arrive at the next level. That is the reason Sadio went to Anfield."

The Guardian reported that Tottenham were one of the clubs Mane rejected before joining Liverpool.

The 24-year-old said in an interview in October that he had turned down a move to Manchester United in the summer of 2015.

"In honesty, there were some clubs interested at that time [in 2015] but I never made any choices then," Mane told the Sunday Telegraph.

"I did not say I thought of any club and I wanted to play there. That kind of interest gave me a lot confidence on the pitch and made me believe in myself.

"I was patient because I remember after the first year [in England] I knew it was better to focus on Southampton. In my head I thought I would be there a couple more years and prove something.

"It was only when Liverpool came in [last summer] that I never had a second thought and knew I wanted to join. It was different because then was the right moment for me," the 24-year-old added.

Liverpool's next league assignment sees them taking on Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on 27 February.