Sadio Mane flattered by Real Madrid link but focus is on helping Liverpool win Champions League final

Sadio Mane said it is a "pleasure" to be linked with a move to Real Madrid but the Senegalese forward insisted he is only focused on the Uefa Champions League final. Liverpool take on Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday's final in Madrid as Jurgen Klopp's men aim to go one better than last year's defeat to Real Madrid. Reports in Spain have claimed the Spanish giants are keen on signing Mane as part of a raid on the Premier League that is likely to include Chelsea's Eden Hazard and possibly Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. Mane, 27, has scored 17 goals in 24 matches for Liverpool since the turn of the year, and is expected to lead Senegal's attack in Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts in late June. As he prepared for Saturday's European final, Mane was asked about interest from Real Madrid, and did not dismiss it altogether. He did, though, insist that Liverpool's progress to the Champions League final - which has seen them knock out Napoli, Bayern Munich, Porto and Barcelona - is a sign of their standing in the European game. "This is part of football, so we have to deal with it," said Mane. "But for me, the more important thing is that I am with Liverpool and I am very happy here, and I am preparing for one of the club's biggest games. "Let's focus on this first, and on winning it. It's always a pleasure for this kind of team to want you, but Liverpool, don't forget, we beat big teams." Liverpool go into the final attempting to bounce back from the disappointment of missing out on a first English league title since 1990, having finished one point adrift of Manchester City. Liverpool's total of 97 points is the highest ever accrued by an English top-flight team without winning the league, but Mane says that near-miss has not dampened their spirits. "We're so positive in our way. We have our targets, of course. We wanted to win the league, and the Champions League," he said. "We didn't win the league but we still have one trophy to go so we are going to try to give everything to win it." Liverpool face a Tottenham side who finished 26 points behind them in the Premier League, but Mane is wary of opponents who knocked domestic champions Manchester City out of Europe at the quarter-final stage in April. He is looking for Liverpool to use their previous experience of playing in the Champions League final to give them an advantage. "Every time it makes it easier," he said. "But we expect a very difficult game because Tottenham are a very good team. "We are also very good, so let's see an exciting game, and let's see what's going to happen. I'm sure we will give everything to get what we want."

Sadio Mane flattered by Real Madrid link but focus is on helping Liverpool win Champions League final

Liverpool take on Tottenham in Saturday's final in Madrid as Jurgen Klopp's men aim to go one better than last year's defeat to Real Madrid