Liverpool transfer window priorities: Sadio Mane set to leave but who replaces him?

How will Liverpool attempt to evolve their front line as Sadio Mane angles for a move to Bayern Munich

The way in which their season ended means that any reflection on where Liverpool are coming from needs to come with the caveat of how close they were from turning a great season into one of the greats. But for an unlikely Manchester City fightback against Aston Villa and Thibaut Courtois' heroics in the Stade de France, Jurgen Klopp's side might have been English football's first quadruple champions.

They may have missed out on the two biggest prizes available to them, but a squad that came within a few lucky bounces of immortality does not need a radical overhaul... yet. That is perhaps good timing, coming as it does in the first summer without Michael Edwards at the head of Liverpool's recruitment team. He will be succeeded by Julian Ward and with the structures still in place there is no reason to assume that the Reds cannot spot gaps in the market anymore.

However, Sadio Mane's increasingly likely departure to Bayern Munich does offer a reminder of the one thing all great teams have in common: they end. Liverpool have already been preparing for the day to come when their core is past its prime or ready to move on. That day has not come yet, but Mane's decision to up sticks suggests it may arrive sooner than some expect.