Liverpool receives intriguing proposal for Mohamed Salah’s transfer replacement

Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool contract is set to expire next summer if the club cannot agree on an extension, leading to speculation about potential replacements. Jermaine Pennant has suggested Barcelona’s Raphinha as a candidate to fill Salah’s shoes if he leaves Liverpool.

Salah, along with teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, is facing the end of his contract next year. While Liverpool is eager to keep their star player, Salah hinted in September that this might be his last season with the team.

The 32-year-old is Liverpool’s leading scorer and assist provider this season, contributing to 15 goals, which is eight more than his closest teammate, Luis Diaz. Replacing Salah will be a significant challenge, as he has scored 219 goals in 362 matches since joining Anfield, a legacy few can match.

Pennant has unexpectedly proposed Raphinha, formerly of Leeds United, as a suitable replacement. The Brazilian attracted interest from Arsenal and Chelsea before moving to Barcelona.

Although Raphinha has scored 10 goals this season, his overall tally of 30 goals in 101 appearances pales in comparison to Salah’s output. However, it’s worth noting that Salah did not reach his current scoring rate before his £34.3 million transfer to Liverpool.

Pennant remarked, “If Mohamed Salah does leave, I can see Raphinha making a return to the Premier League in a Liverpool shirt to replace him. He’s quick and fits that same style of play on the right-hand side and cutting in. He’s very tricky, and that’s what Liverpool have now with Luis Díaz and Salah.”

He added, “He’s got that eye for goal which we’ve seen from him at Barcelona where he’s doing really well – scoring hat-tricks against the likes of Bayern Munich and playing a big part in their recent 4-0 El Clásico win against Real Madrid.

His experience at Leeds would make him a good fit at Liverpool – he’s comfortable in the Premier League and managed to make an impact and score goals there despite them struggling as a team. You’d imagine that a team like Liverpool would step him up a level with how attacking they are.”

Earlier this month, Liverpool boss Arne Slot expressed frustration with repeated inquiries about Salah’s future, stating, “It’s the same boring answer as always. I could really understand if you ask me this once every two weeks, but if you ask me this after two or three days again, then you still get the same answer and people feel that I’m boring them!”