Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane once formed one of the Premier League's deadliest attacking trios, but their relationship was far from perfect.
Alongside Brazilian star Roberto Firmino, the two forwards made up a devastating Liverpool front three between 2017 and 2022, helping the club to both Premier League and Champions League glory.
Sadio Mane, Robert Firmino and Mohamed Salah formed arguably the most feared attacking line-ups in world football at one point
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Sadio Mane, Robert Firmino and Mohamed Salah formed arguably the most feared attacking line-ups in world football at one pointCredit: Getty
Overall, the three stars combined for a total of 338 goals and 139 assists during this time, but this wasn't without an internal rivalry brewing between its two headline acts.
Mane and Salah often found themselves battling it out at the top of the league's goalscoring charts, with tensions at times flaring between them as a result, most notably in a public spat at Burnley in 2019.
It would ultimately be Mane who broke the iconic trio up, departing Anfield in 2022 to join Bayern Munich in a £35million deal.
Fast forward three-years, and it could yet again be the German giants who pick apart a title-winning Reds attack, who have identified winger Luis Diaz as a top summer transfer target.
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Despite Liverpool rejecting Bayern's advances for the Colombian, their interest will be enough to leave some fans fearing the worst.
This is especially considering that the last player to head to swap Merseyside for Bavaria was none other than Mane, with Diaz's current circumstances eerily similar to Senegalese star's when he left the club.
Like Mane, the 28-year-old has also formed one-third of a title-winning attacking trio alongside Salah.
Last season, Diaz netted 13 goals and provided five assists in the league as the Reds stormed to Premier League glory, enjoying his best goalscoring campaign since joining the club in 2022.
Alongside fellow strike partner Cody Gakpo, the winger was a key cog in the stunning triumph, but it was Salah who really stole the show.
The Egyptian enjoyed a stellar individual season, winning the league's golden boot award after notching 29 goals, as well topping the top-flight assists charts, laying on 18 goals for his teammates.
Luis Diaz scored 17 goals in all competitions last season for Liverpool, drawing interest from Bayern Munich
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Luis Diaz scored 17 goals in all competitions last season for Liverpool, drawing interest from Bayern Munich
The Colombian could become the first Reds star to join the Bundesliga champions since Mane in 2022
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The Colombian could become the first Reds star to join the Bundesliga champions since Mane in 2022Credit: Twitter - @FCBayernEN
Salah's individual exploits saw him firmly establish himself as Liverpool's main talisman, a status which wasn't always quite as clear.
Whilst sharing the stage alongside Firmino and Mane, he often found himself locked in a head-to-head battle with the latter to claim individual superiority.
The pair even shared the Premier League golden boot in the 2018/19 season, finishing tied on 22 goals alongside Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
And the pair weren't always happy to share the limelight, with Firmino previously opening up on the tensions between them in his 2023 autobiography 'Sí Señor: My Liverpool Years.'
He wrote: “I knew those guys very well, maybe better than anyone. It was me out there on the field, right in the middle of them.
"I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other. I could feel it.
Sadio Mane never managed to outscore Mohamed Salah in their five seasons together at Anfield
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Sadio Mane never managed to outscore Mohamed Salah in their five seasons together at AnfieldCredit: Getty
"I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments.
"For many, that disagreement [against Burnley] between Sadio and Mo was the first; for some, the first and last. But I knew it had been brewing since the previous season, 2018-19.
"My instinct and my duty was to defuse the situation between them. Pour water on the fire - never petrol.”
Shedding more light on the pair's frosty relationship, Firmino said: “They were never best friends; each kept himself to himself.
"It was rare to see the two of them talking and I'm not sure if that had to do with the Egypt-Senegal rivalry in African competitions. I truly don't know.
"But they also never stopped talking, never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism."
Roberto Firmino won six major trophies with Liverpool between 2015 and 2032
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Roberto Firmino won six major trophies with Liverpool between 2015 and 2032Credit: Getty
Firmino added: "Everyone, including the other players, knew that's how it worked. It was the worst-kept secret in Liverpool."
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Mane left Liverpool for Bayern having notched 120 goals in all competitions over six years at the club, while Salah has now struck on 245 occasions for the Reds.
This is a figure the 33-year-old will be keen to add to in the upcoming 2025/26 campaign, having signed a new two-year deal to stay at Anfield in April.