Liverpool look set to again raid Southampton for one of their star players this summer, with attacking midfielder Sadio Mane strongly linked with a move to Merseyside.

The Reds reportedly turned their attentions to Mane after failing in their pursuit of Mario Gotze, with the latest reports, per Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star, suggesting out-of-favour Liverpool youngster Jordon Ibe will head south as part of the deal.

If Mane moves to Liverpool, he'll be following in the footsteps of Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne in swapping Hampshire for Merseyside.

Capable of playing in any of the three attacking roles behind the forward in Jurgen Klopp's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, Mane would be competing with the man he replaced at Southampton, Lallana, plus Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, James Milner and youngster Sheyi Ojo.

The player, who was signed for £11 million from Red Bull Salzburg two years ago, operated predominantly on the right side of the attacking midfield three for Southampton last season.

According to Transfermarkt, he played 21 games on the right, 13 as a secondary striker centrally and six times on the left. It was on the right where he did the most damage, scoring nine of his 15 goals last season, with five of his nine assists also coming from that side.

However, WhoScored.com claim he only played on the right nine times but do at least agree that he had his best form there—with his player rating averaging 8.08 on the right, compared to 6.84 when played in the centre.

It's there where he'd most likely fit in at Anfield, with Liverpool lacking true wide options, something Klopp pointed to earlier this year.

"We have enough strikers but not too many wingers, just a few young ones with great potential," said the Reds' boss in February, per Press Association (via This Is Anfield).

Klopp's words hint at wanting a player more proven than youngsters Ibe and Ojo.

The 24-year-old Senegal international has more experience than those two, and 21 goals in his first two seasons in the Premier League is evidence of that. His total of 11 assists shows his ability to create, too.

Crucially, perhaps, Mane is still young enough that he isn't the finished product just yet.

"He’s not the finished article yet and it could be safe to assume that he is going to get even better," says Saints fan Chris Rann in a Q&A with This Is Anfield.

"I’m confident he is destined for the top," adds Ran. "And in truth I think he is better than any wide player/second striker you have at Liverpool currently."

So just how does Mane compare to Liverpool's current options?

Liverpool's Attacking Options

Since Klopp was appointed last October, he's used Milner, Ibe or Lallana on the right when using a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation.

Lallana was impressive in a three-man attack in the 4-1 win at Manchester City, while Milner found success from the right towards the end of the season, often drifting wide to supply crosses that contributed to his 14 assists in all competitions.

In the home game against Borussia Dortmund, Klopp went for 4-2-3-1, and Lallana started on the right. This was the case again in the UEFA Europa League final. On both occasions, Klopp was without captain Jordan Henderson, therefore meaning a central role for Milner. Had Henderson been available to partner Emre Can in midfield, there would have been a selection poser for the boss. 

So it's difficult to say exactly who is/was Liverpool's go-to right-winger under Klopp last season as the team shape and player on the right changed from game to game.

Ojo came into the side on occasion in the league at the end of the campaign but played mostly on the left, while Ibe also had a few chances, such as at West Bromwich Albion on the final day.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Coutinho was the Reds' regular left-sided attacking midfielder, with the Brazilian starting in that role whenever fit.

Centrally, Firmino operated behind either Origi or Sturridge.

In general, it was three from Coutinho, Lallana, Firmino and Milner, who operated in the three behind the forward.

While each of these have their own qualities, none of them offer the direct dribbling and pace that Mane offers.

Goals and Assists

Taking a pure statistical comparison, Mane comes out favourably, providing more goals in the last two seasons than any of the current Liverpool quartet of Lallana, Coutinho, Milner and Firmino.

In all competitions, Mane has 25 goals from 2014/15 and 2015/16—that's compared to Lallana's 13 goals, Milner's 15, Coutinho's 20 and Firmino's 21 (Firmino's goal count being 11 at Liverpool last season and 10 the season before while at Hoffenheim).

Similarly, Mane comes out favourably in pure numbers when looking at assists. He has 14 over the last two campaigns, which is more than Lallana (12) and Coutinho (13), but less than Milner and Firmino (both 23).

One negative often labelled at Lallana is his lack of end product, and this shows here, with his numbers far lower than any of his competitors':

Mane would offer a goalscoring threat from the wide area, and that's something Liverpool lack.

Inconsistency

Going into a little more detail, using last season as the statistical marker and utilising Squawka's statistical comparison matrix, Mane's attacking contributions are less than the current LFC four—despite more playing time in the Premier League.

While the numbers aren't massively lower, he's last in chances created, key passes and successful take-ons—three areas you'd want your attacking wide man to be contributing in.

The shot accuracy is pretty comparable across the board (minus Coutinho's weakness of haphazard long shots), as is pass completion.

These findings are likely due to Mane's lack of consistency and dips in form. Before his two goals as a half-time substitute against Liverpool at St. Mary's in March, Mane had gone three months and 11 appearances without a goal or assist.

Indeed, from the start of November up to those two goals on March 20, he contributed just two assists in 19 league appearances for the Saints.

Klopp will be hoping that he can bring out more consistency in the 24-year-old and develop him into a player capable of producing more regularly.

Verdict

Mane would seemingly add more goals. He'd also add pace and a different option to Liverpool's current wide attackers in that respect.

He might not immediately be a huge upgrade on what's available for Klopp, but he shows signs that if he can become more consistent, he would take his personal game to the next level and therefore become a key player for the Anfield club.

Liverpool are right to seek a player of Mane's attributes. He'll offer something different immediately, while having the potential to blossom further under Klopp's tutelage.

* All appearance data via Transfermarkt, unless otherwise stated.