Sporting director drops transfer bombshell on Liverpool's Salah heir

Tom Weber

• 7 Feb 2024 15:20 GMT
• 3 min read

PSV's sporting director Earnie Stewart has admitted that Liverpool target Johan Bakayoko is likely to depart in the summer.

The electric winger has become one of Europe's most interesting talents, starring for Peter Bosz's table-topping Eredivisie trendsetters. Bakayoko has thus far notched six goals and 13 assists in 33 games across all competitions this term, also already racking up nine games for Belgium's senior side at just 20 years of age.

Unsurprisingly, then, the PSV star is a sought-after commodity and Liverpool have been most prominently linked with him. Bakayoko, a left-footed right-winger, seems to be the obvious heir to Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian continues to be linked with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.

Seeing as though there will be a major overhaul at Liverpool following the departure of Jurgen Klopp in the summer, the Anfield club would be foolish not to cash in on their 31-year-old talisman should a Saudi side - likely Neymar's Al-Hilal - come calling with an offer north of €100 million or even €150m.

Bakayoko on the market

Based on recent evidence, Bakayoko has the potential to reach similar heights to Salah, though he is more of an elite creator than a prolific scorer like the veteran. There is a risk that Bakayoko could be another Antony, but unlike the Brazilian, the youngster is not merely a one-trick pony and his skillset should translate better to a more demanding league than the Man Utd flop's.

Indeed, it seems that Bakayoko's time at PSV is coming to an end. That's at least according to the club's sporting director Earnie Stewart, who openly admitted that the Belgian wonderkid likely won't be playing in the Netherlands next season.

During an appearance on Studio Voetbal, the former USMNT star was asked whether Bakayoko would still be a PSV player next season. His response is telling: "No, I don't think so." He continued: "What Johan is doing at his age is fantastic. He played 30 top matches before the winter break, including international matches with Belgium."