Despite their repeated insistence that Mo Salah won’t be sold, Liverpool appear to be guarding against the possibility of his departure, judging by reports on Friday.
The Reds have rejected an offer from Saudi Arabia believed to be worth £150m for the 31-year-old (Sky Sports), although Al-Ittihad are sure to try their luck again, with six days still remaining in their transfer window.
To that effect, Football Insider have claimed that the Merseyside club are exploring a deadline day move for Leroy Sane, with the Bayern Munich winger identified as a ‘top-tier potential replacement’ for the Egyptian.
That Liverpool are believed to be testing the waters over a possible move for the 27-year-old would seem to suggest that they could be trying to cover their bases in case their resistance over Salah eventually breaks.
The ideal scenario is obviously that the Reds can continue to hold firm and get to the Saudi transfer deadline without cashing in on their star attacker, but the rumoured pursuit of Sane is perhaps an acknowledgement that there are no guarantees over the Egyptian’s future.
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The former Manchester City winger is nowhere near the same level as LFC’s number 11, but if the latter is tempted to Saudi Arabia, then Jurgen Klopp would surely rather have someone in the door now than getting to next week and being unable to act upon the 31-year-old’s prospective exit.
The Germany international is no slouch, with 79 goals in 271 games combined for City and Bayern (Transfermarkt), and a tally of 20 Champions League goals indicates a consistency to make his mark at the highest level in club football.
Signing him wouldn’t make up for selling Salah if the Egyptian departs, but at least this report hints at Liverpool putting the wheels in motion for a Plan B if they’re ultimately unable to prevent their star man from flocking to the Middle East.
#Ep88 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️
Leroy Sane! Do me a favour.