Liverpool find ‘Salah heir’ as Saudi Pro League rumours build

Robin Bairner

18 Nov 2023 10:04 GMT
3 min read

Jurgen Klopp, Mohamed Salah, Liverpool — © ProShots

Liverpool have found Mohamed Salah’s heir at Anfield as the Egypt international continues to be linked with a transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

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Salah is out of contract with the Reds in 2025 and after being close to making a move to the big-spending league last summer, rumours that he could move to the Middle East in 2024 persist. He and Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland have emerged as the leading targets for Saudi Arabia in the immediate future.

The 31-year-old enjoys superstar status in the Arab world and would receive a huge paycheque for moving to the Pro League, where former Reds teammates Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all finishing off their careers.

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Liverpool, meanwhile, would receive a healthy transfer fee for the attacker and are already considering how best to reinvest this in their squad.

According to Fichajes, Barcelona winger Raphinha is one of the players they are most closely following.

The Brazil international enjoyed an excellent first season at Liverpool but has seen his form tail off this term. Indeed, with the emergence of several new stars at Anfield, Raphinha has been relegated to a peripheral role.

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© ProShots - Raphinha: Liverpool's heir to Mohamed Salah?

Liverpool are said to have been “closely monitoring” the situation and believe that he remains a “promising” option to replace Salah in part because of his performance in the Premier League previously with Leeds United.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are open to a sale of the player they signed from Leeds for €58 million in 2022.

Under financial pressure, any large sale would be precious.

Raphinha has transfer options

FootballTransfers has previously revealed that Raphinha has been offered to Arsenal but the greatest threat to Liverpool over this case comes from Tottenham, who have dropped their interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney and have made concrete contact with Barcelona over the winger.

Liverpool are unlikely to enter the market for Raphinha in January, meanwhile, as they retain hope they might tie Salah down to one final contract at Anfield, with the forward still performing to an outrageously high level.