According to reports from Italy, Liverpool are interested in bringing in a former Manchester City player to replace an exit-linked Anfield stalwart.
Calciomercato have claimed that Leroy Sane is among the wingers the Reds are lining up as prospective replacements for Mo Salah, an object of desire for Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad.
The report claims that the Germany international is ‘eager to return to play in the Premier League to get closer to his family’, having left the Etihad Stadium to go back to his native country in 2020.
READ MORE: Pochettino drops intriguing comment amid Chelsea links with £140k-p/w Liverpool man
In all honesty, we can’t envisage Liverpool making a move for Sane any time soon, and certainly not as an immediate replacement for Salah.
The 27-year-old’s Man City ties could make him a difficult player for the Kop to embrace, particularly as it was his winning goal in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat at the Etihad in 2018/19 which ultimately proved pivotal in denying us the Premier League title, consigning us to our only top-flight loss that season.
He also clashed with an ex-Anfield favourite in Sadio Mane when they were Bayern teammates last April (Sky Sports), which could make it even harder for him to win over the Merseyside faithful.
VOTE for Empire of the Kop as Best Club Content Creator (Premier League) here: Football Content Awards OR on X with Empire’s one-click X link with:
I am voting in @The_FCAs for @empireofthekop in Best Club Content Creator (Premier League)
There’s no questioning that Sane is a fine player, having netted 79 goals in 270 games combined for the Bundesliga and Premier League champions (Transfermarkt), while at 27 he should currently be in his prime while still having plenty of mileage left in his career.
However, he simply isn’t at the same level as Salah, whose 307 Liverpool appearances thus far have yielded 187 goals (Transfermarkt), reaching a level of consistency which marks him out as one of the Reds’ greatest ever players.
The time will eventually come when the iconic Egyptian needs to be replaced, but we hope it isn’t soon and we don’t think the Germany winger would be the man to fill the 31-year-old’s enormous boots.
#Ep87 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Steve Kay & Tobi Altschäffl 🎙️
We got Beardsley after he’d played at United so I guess if Sane fits he fits