Real Madrid vs Liverpool: Naby Keita sent Sadio Mane congratulatory text after reaching Champions League final

Keita will join the Reds in July from RB Leipzig

Jack Austin
Friday 25 May 2018 05:19 EDT
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Liverpool's Champions League campaign in numbers

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Sadio Mane has revealed he keeps in close contact with incoming Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita and that the Guinean sent a congratulatory text message to him when they qualified for the Champions League final.

Keita will join the Reds in July having been chased by Jurgen Klopp for almost the entirety of last summer before Liverpool and RB Leipzig came to an agreement that he would sign for £60m the following summer.

Mane and Keita are good friends and the Senegal forward believes the highly-rated 23-year-old will be a huge hit at Anfield.

“I don’t think he will come to the final, but of course he will watch the game,” Mane revealed. “I am always texting him. He is my good friend.

“He said after we reached the final, ‘congratulations, I am looking forward to coming (to Liverpool)’. He will do great. He is a great player and he will do very well.”

Liverpool are gunning for their sixth European Cup while Real Madrid are aiming for their 13th – and third in a row – but Mane believes that most football fans will be supporting the Reds, apart from the obvious, of course.

“Maybe everyone who is not a Real Madrid, Everton, Man United and Man City fan,” he added. “I think everyone else would like to see Liverpool win the trophy. It would be good for football.”

“I think [Madrid] won it two times and want a third time in a row. We respect them as a great team and great club in history, but Liverpool also has history. It won’t be easy but we will do our best.”

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