One pundit has said that he’d love to see Liverpool make a ‘statement signing’ to replace Mo Salah whenever the Egyptian departs Anfield.
Speculation over the 31-year-old’s future could gather momentum over the coming months off the back of Jurgen Klopp leaving in the summer, and Al-Ittihad already tried to bring him to Saudi Arabia last September, only for their £150m bid to be swiftly rejected.
Speaking on ESPN FC, former Reds player Don Hutchison was asked who he’d like the club to sign if they sell Salah later this year and end up with a huge transfer kitty.
The Scot replied: “How much money have we got? Is it fantasy football? £150m? Saudi money has come in, Kylian Mbappe, free transfer, give them £150m [for Salah]. That’s a statement signing.”
It’s true that Liverpool could have a massive transfer budget available to them if they were to cash in on Salah in the summer for around £150m, and the possibility to snap up Mbappe (whose contract at PSG expires this year) could become much more plausible.
However, with the Frenchman earning more than £1m per week in Paris, signing him would surely necessitate Anfield chiefs to shatter the wage structure that’s currently in place, something that FSG could be very reluctant to do.
The 25-year-old has long since proven himself to be a world-class footballer, but reports of attitude problems and diva-like behaviour at the Parc des Princes mightn’t go down well among the Reds’ hierarchy.
No matter how much Liverpool might bank from selling Salah, and how good Mbappe is as a player, we can’t see the 2018 World Cup winner ever calling Merseyside his home.
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