Liverpool are ramping up the search for Mohamed Salah‘s heir on the wing, and the Reds have reportedly held talks with an illustrious target’s camp.
Liverpool identify Mohamed Salah replacement candidates
Tuesday evening brought one of the most poignant moments in Liverpool’s recent history.
Salah posted his farewell video to social media — measured, emotional, final. Nine years, 255 goals and four Golden Boots.
The man who transformed the club’s fortunes after arriving from Roma in 2017 confirmed he would leave Anfield at the end of the season on a free transfer, most likely heading to the Saudi Pro League. It ended a chapter that defined an era.
What follows is now Liverpool’s most pressing concern — and the early signs suggest replacing Salah is going to be considerably harder than anyone at FSG had hoped.
The 33-year-old leaves having contributed 377 goal involvements across his 435 Liverpool appearances, a return that sets a benchmark no realistic signing can match immediately.
His drop-off this season has been notable, with some pundits suggesting his decline made Liverpool look undermanned on the right side for much of the campaign.
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But even declining Salah still produced more than almost any winger in the Premier League, and the gap his departure leaves is enormous.
Liverpool moved quickly after Tuesday’s announcement to sound out their most coveted targets, but the results have been uniformly discouraging thus far.
Liverpool get Khvicha Kvaratskhelia reply after talks with his agents
TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey claims that FSG have now been knocked back by four separate winger targets before the summer transfer window has even opened, with one of them being PSG sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Liverpool have held talks with the 24-year-old’s representatives, but they were given a clear answer — Kvaratskhelia does want to leave the Parc des Princes this summer.
It should be remembered that Kvaratskhelia only arrived at PSG in January 2025, making this his first complete season in the French capital.
He has settled immediately, contributing 11 goals and seven assists in a forward line that also includes Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, Desire Doue and fellow Liverpool target Bradley Barcola.
The prospect of dismantling that group by selling one of its key components does not appeal to PSG in the slightest.
Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise in action with Paris St Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Reports earlier this month suggested that it would require a Premier League record bid of around £160m to even begin a conversation over the Ligue 1 ‘superstar‘ — a figure that underlines just how firmly the door is shut.
FSG must now shift focus to more accessible targets.
Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig — 10 goals and seven assists in 26 Bundesliga games at just 19 — remains a frontrunner, with Liverpool reportedly in near-daily contact with his representatives, though Leipzig’s valuation of around £87m is considered steep.
The club is expected to sign two wingers this summer to fill the void left by Salah, so it could bea long few months of negotiations on Merseyside.
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