Liverpool want £87m superstar to replace Salah as pair of legends warn Reds off England international | OneFootball

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing an £87million superstar to be heir to Mohamed Salah, after Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher both warned their former club off an England international.

Liverpool always knew a time would come when they had to move forward without Salah. They could have seen the back of him in recent seasons, being offered huge money from the Saudi Pro League, before opting to renew his contract when it ran out in the summer.

But he’s been a shell of his former self this season, and has decided he’ll be leaving the club, making his eighth season at Anfield his last.

Replacing a player with 255 club goals and 122 assists to his name in coming up to a decade is going to be a very important task, and there are multiple options linked with the club.

Diomande in top three to replace Salah

One of those is Yan Diomande, who has 11 goals and eight assists in all competitions for RB Leipzig this season.

Insider Florian Plettenberg said: ‘Confirmed once again that Yan #Diomande is among the top three preferred successors to Mo Salah at Liverpool.

‘Various talks are ongoing behind the scenes regarding several candidates. RB Leipzig are demanding up to €100 million for 19 y/o Diomande. Therefore, a move to FC Bayern is currently still unrealistic.’

Legends warn Liverpool off Bowen

Liverpool have at times been linked with West Ham and England forward Jarrod Bowen, but legends Gerrard and Carragher don’t feel he’s the right man for the club to sign.

Gerrard said: “I really like Bowen and think he is a top player, but I am not sure he is Salah’s level to replace him.”

Carragher added: “No [I cannot see Bowen replacing Salah.] He was maybe on Liverpool’s radar under Jurgen Klopp early on.

“But obviously Mo Salah was already there. But no, he’d be too old for Liverpool.”

Salah increases Slot pressure

There has been pressure on Liverpool boss Arne Slot for much of this season, given the amount of time the Reds have spent outside the top four as defending Premier League champions.

Gary Neville has discussed whether Salah’s exit could increase that pressure, while he feels the optics of the announcement coming now aren’t great for the boss.

He said: “I suspect Liverpool and Arne Slot are in a position whereby Mo Salah’s said, ‘Look, I’d like to announce it.’

“They’re in the very difficult position of, if we say no and announce it at the end of the season, they’re going to p*** him off, and he’s going to be walking round unhappy. For Liverpool, is it the right time now?

“And for Arne Slot, what does it do for him? He’s the guy at the moment that is under pressure.

“I understand why he’s under pressure, obviously because there’s been a massive drop-off, but he won the league seven months ago, and I would have thought that Liverpool, in the way that you [Carragher] always talked about Liverpool treating their managers as a god, that they would be more thinking that the players have let him down than he’s the instigator.

“For the first time, it feels like Liverpool are turning on the manager over the players, which is something that is surprising to watch from the outside.

“What does it do for Arne Slot? Does it put more pressure on him now for the rest of the season if he’s got Mo Salah leaving, he’s willing to rip up his contract, he’s obviously not playing that well.”