With six Premier League games left to play, Mo Salah could be entering the last couple of months of his Liverpool career – and Steve Nicol has identified the perfect replacement for the Egyptian icon.
Salah of course, has been linked with the exit door at Liverpool in the past. Last summer coming close to a move to Saudi Arabia – with a £150m bid coming in. But, he chose to stay put. Now, it could change.
Jurgen Klopp is leaving the club and that is expected to see a number of players make a decision on their future. He is likely to have been a part of the reason many of the squad decided to move to Merseyside.
Richard Hughes is keen on handing Salah a new contract – along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk. But, Steve Nicol and Craig Burley have already predicted that Salah could be off this summer.
Mo Salah expected to leave Liverpool this summer, or next
Certainly, he will need to sign a new contract if he is going to stay because his current deal is due to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season. But, Liverpool could decide to replace the former Chelsea man.
Speaking to ESPN FC, former Liverpool man Nicol was asked for the one man he would sign if money was no object at Liverpool this summer. He said that with Salah likely to go, he would sign Victor Osimhen.
He thinks the Nigeria and Napoli star would be “fantastic” in a Liverpool shirt – and his addition would see Darwin Nunez move out to the left wing, where he played for Benfica prior to his move to Liverpool.
“The fact that Salah is going, Osimhen. Osimhen would be fantastic for Liverpool. The middle of the park? Well we’ve signed Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, it means Nunez would have to start out wide,” he said.
How much would Liverpool need to spend to sign Osimhen?
Even if they meet Napoli’s asking price, it might be too late. Indeed, reports claim that Osimhen is on the verge of a move to PSG this summer, as the French side look to bring in a replacement for Kylian Mbappe.
But should a move not occur, Osimhen has a release clause worth £113m and Liverpool would have to pay that massive sum in order for Napoli to accept the loss of the striker. It seems unlikely Liverpool will.
A move to sign Osimhen would improve most Premier League clubs however, and if the Reds do get him it could help bring the best out of Nunez – who did play on the left prior. He may feel that is his best role.