Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool is currently shrouded in uncertainty. The Egyptian forward, who is the Reds’ top Premier League goalscorer of all time, is now in the final year of his contract at Anfield, and with time ticking away, is yet to pen an extension.
According to Salah himself, that’s because Liverpool haven’t asked him to. “No one at the club has spoken to me about contracts, so I’m just like, ‘OK, I’m playing my last season’ and see what happens at the end of the season,” the 32-year-old said back in September after Liverpool beat Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford.
“It’s not up to me but nobody talked to me about a contract with the club. We’ll see,” he teased.
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ByBarney LaneOct 17, 2024
While Salah’s comments last month suggest he wants to stay put at Liverpool, the club are still yet to make their move, and soon, the vultures will no doubt start circling.
And if Salah really is to leave Anfield in the summer, manager Arne Slot will need to find a suitable replacement. Given Salah has been one of the world’s best players for the past decade and is still going strong, that will be a hard task.
Here are five players who might be able to help fill the void Salah leaves behind.
1 Mohammed Kudus West Ham United
Mohammed Kudus joined West Ham United from Ajax in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £38m.
In his debut season at the London Stadium, he proved that he was more than worth that hefty fee, scoring 14 and assisting 8 in all competitions as the Hammers made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Proving he was worth more than his impressive statistics, the Ghanaian’s powerful running, neat footwork, first touch and his ability to find the net from almost any position also caught the eye.
With West Ham struggling desperately this term under Julen Lopetegui, it wouldn’t be surprising if clubs, including Liverpool, came sniffing around in either January or next year. Football Transfers linked the Reds with a big-money swoop in the summer, so there appears to be interest in the midfielder.
However, should they table an offer, they’ll have to pay a huge sum for the 24-year-old. According to Football Insider, Kudus has a release clause set at £85m.
2 Omar Marmoush Eintracht Frankfurt
The last time Liverpool signed an Egyptian forward, it worked out pretty well, and according to a recent report from German journalist Patrick Berger, the Reds could be looking to do the same again should Salah leave.
Berger reported in October that the Premier League giants were keeping tabs on Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush as a replacement for his compatriot.
At the time of writing Marmoush tops the Bundesliga’s goals and assists charts this season, having scored nine goals and registered four assists in just seven top-flight games, averaging a strike every 66 minutes. The 25-year-old has also been linked with Chelsea.
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ByBarney LaneOct 17, 2024 3 Rodrygo Real Madrid
According to reports in Spain, Liverpool boss Slot sees Real Madrid winger Rodrygo as the “ideal candidate” to replace Salah at Anfield.
Like the Egyptian, Rodrygo is a pacy and skilful right-winger with a good eye for goal. In the 227 games he’s played for Real Madrid since joining them from Santos in 2019, he’s scored 57 goals.
The Brazilian has been most effective in the Champions League, scoring 20 goals in 50 games. However, while he’s been a solid contributor for Los Blancos over the years, Rodrygo has fallen down the pecking order at the Bernabeu this season due to the arrival of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain.
He’s still playing regularly, but there are signs he’s unhappy. Back in August, he was forced to delete a message on his official WhatsApp channel in which he appeared to take issue with Madrid fans giving the trio of Jude Bellingham, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr. the nickname “The BMV.”
“They are going to have to add the R of Rodrygo to that acronym,” he wrote.
4 Johan Bakayoko PSV Eindhoven
While the name Johan Bakayoko might not have the same brand power as Rodrygo or Mohamed Kudus, it’s one that is on the lips of many European clubs, Liverpool included.
Aged just 21, the Belgian winger has already established himself as one of the Eredivisie’s top players. Last season, he scored 14 goals and registered 14 assists in all competitions for PSV, helping guide the team to its 25th Eredivisie title and first since 2018.
Liverpool boss Slot will know all too well just how good he is, having come up against him on six occasions while in charge of Feyenoord.
5 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Napoli
Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being nicknamed “Kvaradona” should tell all you need to know about the Georgian wizard.
After impressing as a youngster with various clubs in Russia, Kvaratskhelia joined Napoli in 2022. In his debut season in Italy, he scored 12 goals and produced 13 assists in Serie A as Napoli lifted the league title for the first time in 33 years.
Last season, despite Napoli struggling, he impressed again with 11 goals and 8 assists, while this term, he’s got five goal involvements in seven games.
It’s not just Diego Maradona Kvaratskhelia has been likened to, either. Amid reports that he was close to joining Manchester United in 2023, Italian football legend Christian Vieri also compared him to one of the Red Devils’ best-ever players.
“If he goes to Manchester United, the times of George Best come back,” he told Bobo TV. “Kvaratskhelia is the same.”
According to Football Insider, he was linked with a summer move to Liverpool. Whether a move in the post-Salah era materialises remains to be seen, but Reds fans will be hoping that if Kvaratskhelia does arrive at Anfield, he can add the Egyptian’s name to the growing list of legendary stars he’s already been likened to.