Arne Slot handpicks £35m replacement for Salah and Ekitike | OneFootball

Liverpool have got plenty of work to do up front in the summer transfer window.

Mohamed Salah first and foremost will be LEAVING the club - drawing the curtain on a glorious nine-year stay at Anfield. It’s no secret the Premier League champions are in the market for a replacement - with Salah’s deputy Federico Chiesa also set to depart.

Then there’s the case of Hugo Ekitike. The £69m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt got off to a great start on Merseyside - scoring 17 times in his debut season.

But the France international was struck down with an injury last week - rupturing his achilles and now expected to miss the best part of a year.

Arne Slot and Richard Hughes therefore require players at both right wing and - for a season at least - at centre-forward where Alexander Isak will be the only senior, fit option.

Arne Slot wants Kolo Muani

And the Dutchman has named his ideal target according to a report in TuttoJuve - eyeing a deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani.

The 27-year-old Frenchman is currently on loan at crisis club Tottenham and has been unable to show the best of himself. He is due to return to Paris when his loan deal ends in summer and Luis Enrique’s side are intent on selling the former Frankfurt forward.

Liverpool - as well as Juventus - are reported to be in the running for Kolo Muani - who would be available for as little as £35m.

Capable of playing right-wing as well as his usual centre-forward position Kolo Muani may well prove to be the ideal stop-gap solution for the Anfield side.

Liverpool can get Kolo Muani for £35m

“Luis Enrique still doesn't consider him central to the project, and two European giants are already making moves for the player: Juventus, who have long been interested, and Liverpool, led by Arne Slot,” the report reads.

“Arne Slot has approved Kolo Muani's profile during a meeting with the Reds' management.

“The objective is clear: to find a versatile striker capable of filling the void of Hugo Ekitike, who is sidelined by a serious Achilles tendon injury, while also beginning the transition following the announced departure of Mohamed Salah.

“The Frenchman's attacking versatility, capable of playing both as a central striker and as a right winger, and his ability in open spaces are perfectly suited to Slot's dynamic, vertical style of football.

“PSG, intent on freeing themselves from the player's high salary and earning around €40 million, are ready to listen to offers without opposition.”