SADIO Mane has completed his record-breaking transfer to Liverpool for a fee that could reach an eye-watering £36m.

The Senegal international becomes the fifth Saints man to move to Anfield in just 26 months, with his huge fee making him the most expensive player ever sold by the club.

The initial £34m that Liverpool have paid for the 24-year-old puts him in second place, after Andy Carroll (£35m), as the highest priced player in the Merseysiders’ history.

Mane could eventually become Liverpool’s record signing once various add-ons are activated, which will take the eventual transfer fee to around £36m.

With Mane’s departure, Saints have made a very handsome return on the £10m they paid Red Bull Salzburg in 2014 for the flying attacker.

Considering his inconsistencies during Mane’s two-season spell at St Mary’s, which saw him lurch from brilliantly unpredictable to immensely frustrating, Saints will feel the mountain of cash they’ve received is a more than a healthy return.

After all, despite Mane’s frightening pace and clear quality, his discipline was called into question on more than one occasion while at St Mary’s.

During his first season, in which he scored 10 goals in 30 Premier League appearances, he was dropped before a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool after turning up half-an-hour late to a pre-match meal.

It was a stunt he repeated in his second season, when he failed to turn up on time for a meeting prior to a miserable 1-0 defeat to eventually relegated Norwich City in January.

That event at Carrow Road came in the middle of a 16-game goal drought, which eventually came to an end when he netted twice in the 3-2 comeback win over Jurgen Klopp’s side.

In fact, Mane ended the season with four goals in three games against his new employers.

The attacker finished with 15 goals in all competitions for Saints last season, netting eight times in his final eight games.

In total Mane made 75 appearances in a Saints shirt, netting 25 goals.

Three of those 25 goals made history, when he smashed in the fastest-ever hat trick in just 2 minutes and 56 seconds during a 6-1 thumping of Aston Villa. 

Mane joins Victor Wanyama in this summer's St Mary's departure lounge, while Nathan Redmond is the first new face to arrive at Saints in a £10m deal from Norwich City. 

Saints are still concentrating their efforts on bringing in a new manager, with Claude Puel set to be in place before some players return for pre-season training on July 4.