Mo Salah ‘almost certainly’ leaving Liverpool next summer as Klopp picks replacement who’d break a record
Mohamed Salah could be replaced by Leroy Sane at Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp wants Liverpool to break their transfer record to sign Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich in the event of Mohamed Salah leaving, a report has claimed.
Liverpool resisted interest from the Saudi Pro League in Salah this summer, but are bracing themselves for further attempts to lure the Egypt international to the Middle East in 2024.
According to the Daily Mirror, Salah will ‘almost certainly’ be leaving Liverpool next year, though thankfully for Klopp, that would be in the summer and not in January.
Liverpool therefore have plenty of time to plan how they could replace Salah, who has been one of the focal points on the pitch throughout the Klopp era.
The favoured option, per the report, would be to bring Sane back to the Premier League after his previous spell with Manchester City.
Recent reports have claimed Bayern want to speak to Sane about a new contract. With that in mind, they are unlikely to give him up to Liverpool easily.
Indeed, the Mirror suggests Liverpool would have to break their transfer record in order to sign Sane – and they would be willing to do so. In other words, he would cost them more than £80m.
By next summer, Sane will be 28 years old and have completed four seasons with Bayern. As another left-footed right-winger, he could be a like-for-like replacement for Salah.
Back when he played for Man City, though, Sane often featured on the left wing. In the event of Salah leaving, Liverpool would need him on the right the most, but his versatility could make him a useful asset either way.
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How would Sane fare back in the Premier League?
The task for Sane would be to pick up from where he left off in English football. His Man City career ended with 135 appearances, 39 goals, 46 assists and two Premier League medals.
Since returning to his native Germany with Bayern, Sane has won three Bundesliga titles, scoring 45 goals and adding 37 assists from 144 appearances. That kind of progress suggests he would be comfortable continuing at a similar level.
Real Madrid are also admirers of the former Schalke talent, as the report reflects, which would give him his first chance of playing in La Liga. The widespread interest will only heighten the pressure on Bayern to tie him down for the long term.
His current contract is only due to last until the end of next season, which makes Bayern vulnerable until they secure any kind of agreement with him for beyond then.
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