The right winger hasn't left Anfield this week but he will move to Saudi Arabia eventually, so Jurgen Klopp needs to start scouting successors now
Mohamed Salah is still a Liverpool player despite the best efforts of Saudi Arabia. However, that doesn't mean that the winger won't end up joining Al-Ittihad – or another club owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). On the contrary, it now seems highly likely that Salah will move to the Middle East at the end of the season, given his age, interest in the transfer, and the money on offer.
Consequently, Liverpool will already be thinking about the unenviable task of trying to find worthy successor to 'The Egyptian King'. There are not a huge amount of world-class left-footed right wingers on the market right now, but the Reds could well be in a position to spend big money next summer if Al-Ittihad return with another sizable bid for Salah.
Below, GOAL runs through the leading candidates to replace Salah in 2024 – and ranks them in order of suitability to the role…
Getty 9Raphinha
After nearly going bankrupt because of the recklessness of the Josep Maria Bartomeu era, Barcelona have been trying to practise prudence in the transfer market in recent windows – so quite why they felt compelled to pay £50m ($63m) for Raphinha is anyone's guess. The Brazil international is just not an elite-level winger, as his Catalan employers have quickly realised. Raphinha was repeatedly linked with a move away from Camp Nou during the summer.
There is still a decent Premier League player in there, though. Raphinha impressed during his second season at Leeds, in 2021-22, and given Barca could soon make him available for a knockdown fee, Liverpool might well resurrect their interest in a player they were linked with a year ago.
He's obviously not Salah but taking a risk on Raphinha would enable Klopp to use the leftover money to strengthen elsewhere.
AdvertisementGetty 8Johan Bakayoko
Brentford were willing to pay a club-record £34m ($44m) for the 20-year-old during the summer transfer window but Bakayoko preferred to stay at PSV, who were holding out for €45m (£38.6m/$48m) anyway. It only feels like a matter of time before he ends up leaving Eindhoven, though, with many tipping Bakayoko to shine in this season's Champions League after playing a key role in his side getting through the qualifying rounds with four assists in four games.
Hardly surprising, then, that there are already rumours that Liverpool are lining up the Belgium international to replace Salah next summer. Very much an exciting and explosive young talent to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months…
Getty 7Jarrod Bowen
Talk of the West Ham winger moving to Merseyside went very quiet last season, as Bowen struggled to replicate his 2021-22 form. However, the crowd favourite finished with a flourish, scoring the winning goal in the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina, and has hit the ground running this term.
Would Bowen's arrival set pulses racing at Liverpool? Absolutely not, and there's also the fact that West Ham would doubtless charge a pretty penny for such a popular player. Still, the 26-year-old has plenty of admirers at Anfield, Klopp included, and would prove far more attainable than some of the other names on this list.
Getty6Michael Olise
One of the breakout stars of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, the Frenchman found himself at the centre of incessant transfer speculation during the summer because of the £35m ($42m) release clause in his Crystal Palace contract. Manchester City were heavily linked as they looked to find a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, while Olise looked certain to rejoin Chelsea just before the close of the window.
In the end, the 21-year-old ended up signing a new, four-year contract at Selhurst Park. Therefore, it would take quite a big bid for Crystal Palace to even entertain the idea of letting Olise leave next summer, while it's also worth bearing in mind that he remains a very raw talent that really needs to work on his finishing.
Nonetheless, Olise – who last season became the youngest player to record a hat-trick of assists from open play in the same Premier League game – is improving at a rapid rate and would represent a very exciting addition to Liverpool's already fantastic forward line.