Liverpool may be quietly planning for life without Mohamed Salah eventually, and his potential successor has been linked with a move to Anfield.
Will Mohamed Salah leave Liverpool?
There was concern during the latter part of the summer transfer window that Salah could depart the Reds after six legendary years at the club. There was strong interest from Saudi Arabia, with Al-Ittihad having a £150m rejected, but eventually, he stayed put on Merseyside for the time being.
It wouldn't be remotely surprising if that interest returned once January rolls around, however, or next summer at the very least, and there is always the threat that the 31-year-old's head could be turned by a move. In 2024, he will only have one year left on his current deal, so Liverpool and owners FSG could even see it at the last good opportunity to receive huge money for arguably their most prized asset.
If Salah does move on next summer, it is clear that the Reds will need to sign a new attacker in his place, and while it could be impossible to find someone with such relentless numbers in the final third, they cannot afford to bring in an individual who is incapable of at least partly filling the void.
A new update suggests that FSG and Jurgen Klopp have already found one potential option as the Egyptian's eventual successor on Merseyside, as they plan for the future.
Do Liverpool want to sign Federico Chiesa?
According to a report from Spain, Liverpool are interested in signing Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, as the club eye up "top-level replacements" for Salah. His current club could be happy to sell him, in order to boost their financial issues and build towards the future, which could make the transfer easier to go through.
The 25-year-old is described as a "coveted" player in the transfer market, with a number of top clubs seemingly keen on acquiring his services in the near future, and with his contract also expiring in 2025, next summer is a logical time to sell him.
Chiesa could be a brilliant signing by Liverpool, having arguably been one of Europe's most dangerous and direct wide players in recent times, catching the eye greatly for Italy at Euro 2020, when he tasted glory in the competition after victory over England in the final at Wembley in 2021.
Granted, he isn't as prolific as Salah, but a tally of 59 goal contributions (34 goals and 25 assists) in 153 appearances for Juventus still represents a good return in a tough league, as does a total of 80 overall in Serie A, coming in 206 matches.
There are slight question marks about Chiesa's injury record, which is a possible drawback – again, this is an area of Salah's game that is hugely underrated, with his fitness and availability about as good as anyone in the Premier League – but if Klopp sees him as the man to replace Salah, he could be worth taking a punt on, having been hailed as "world-class" by former Italy international Alessandro Pierini in the past.
