Belgium born Ghanaian winger Jeremy Doku has disclosed and explained in detail how a conversation with Sadio Mane prevented him from signing for Liverpool.
Kickgh.com in recent days have revealed that City have agreed a fee of €65m (£55m) including add-ons with Rennes for the talented teenager's services, with personal terms and a five-year deal being agreed.
Official announcement of the transfer is now imminent, pending a successful medical, and ahead of the move some discussions have come out to light concerning how Doku had previously come close to joining an English Premier League club.
At age 15, prior to signing his first professional Anderlecht contract, the Belgian flash' attracted a great interest from Liverpool, who sent Jurgen Klopp and a good chunk of their first-team players to try and convince Doku of switching camp to Anfield.
One first-teamer who was sent to talk to the Man City bound was Sadio Mane, though the soon-to-be City star told French newspaper Ouest-France back in 2021 that the actual conversation they had didn't necessarily go the way it was supposed to.
"I talked a lot with Mane, but we didn't really talk about football. We talked about everything," Doku said. "He told me that I was young, that I still had time. He wasn't trying to convince me or to say to me 'come here (Liverpool), you will succeed'. So I preferred to be careful. I knew what my trajectory had to be. I knew what route I needed to take, and I knew at that moment I needed to stay at Anderlecht."
After the conversation with Mane, Doku, instead opted to stay at Anderlecht before making the move to Rennes in 2020, where he has assiduously left a great mark to become a regular starter in Belgium's senior national team.
In Ligue 1, Doku registered just ten goals in 74 appearances, with City aiming he will improve his goal scoring prowess, lighting up the Premier League.
By: Pascal Amoah
