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Tottenham Hotspur want a forward who can give their attack a boost. Nacer Chadli and Aaron Lennon are gine enough, but neither is going to rack up goals or being a dynamic playmaker and Mauricio Pochettino craves that. He wants someone direct who will cause havoc running towards goal from the wing. And that is a perfect description of Sadio Mane.
It's clear Spurs want to buy a winger, but the question is will they, and will they opt for Mane? They're reportedly looking to buy Jay Rodriguez, who would presumably come cheaper than Mane and he has a history with Pochettino, but if Tottenham can't nab him then Mane could be the pick.
As far as upside goes, Mane is a dream. He's pacey, aggressive and has proven himself against some good teams, playing excellently in the Europa League last year. He was marvelous against Ajax and Basel in the knockout stages, giving teams good reason to believe he can get it done at a much higher level than the Austrian Bundesliga.
The problem for Spurs is Southampton are also in on Mane so he won't be an easy signing, but their interest in the Senegalese goes back a year, which means Pochettino fancied him when he was with the Saints. He may push for him again, this time with Tottenham.
Quick bio: Mane only scored two goals in 22 appearances for Metz, but that wasn't a bad output considering he was just 19 years old at the time, and he showed enough that Red Bull Salzburg signed him. That signing proved to be a strike of genius as Mane scored 45 goals in 86 matches for the club and established himself as a regular for Senegal.
Age: 22
Likelihood he's transferred today: Very high. He is reportedly in London with his agent so he can be on the ready to make a move.
Potential suitors: Southampton have been chasing Mane hard and apparently already bid on him.
Price if he's sold: £15-20 million. The Saints have reportedly offered Red Bull £15 million for Mane and he has a £20 million release clause so the move will come for somewhere in between there.
Are Spurs the front-runners?: No. Southampton have already put in a bid so that makes them frontrunners, but it wouldn't take much for Tottenham to get in the race.
The verdict - Could he be a Spurs player on September 2?: No. As fun of a signing as he would be, if Southampton have really already bid £15 million then Spurs would have to approach his £20 million buyout clause. That seems like a bit too rich for Tottenham, although his wages would likely be very affordable.