Mohamed Salah with Liverpool manager Arne Slot
Arne Slot has been told of a pair of potential Mohamed Salah replacements
Arne Slot has been told to set his sights on Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Southampton starlet Tyler Dibling should Mohamed Salah leave Liverpool.
Though the Reds are purring under new boss Slot and stand alone atop the Premier League and Champions League tables, three first-team stars see their current deals expire in 2025, including the top flight’s top-scorer Salah.
Salah's "more in than out" admission after a clash against the Saints last month harkened panic stations. However, should disaster strike Merseyside and the Egyptian icon call time on his glittering Anfield career, a return to the south coast, chequebook in hand, has been advised.
Danny Murphy, who played nearly 250 times for Liverpool, has theorised about Salah’s prospective departure, singling out Southampton youngster Dibling and Los Blancos’ Brazilian winger Rodrygo as two targets should push come to shove.
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“I think Mohamed Salah will stay at Liverpool,” Murphy told BetBrain. “I think Liverpool will get it done – even if it means giving him just one more year. I just don’t think they’ll let him go. The pressure will be too big from the fans.
“However, if he were to leave, I think Rodrygo would be an outstanding replacement if Liverpool were able to pinch him off Real Madrid.
“He’s a phenomenal young player and plays on that right-hand side as well as anyone at the moment. He’s a massive goal threat and would make up for the numbers that Liverpool would lose if Salah left.”
Rodrygo
Rodrygo has been picked out by Murphy ( Image: Ian Stephen/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)
The Reds have seen themselves linked with a move for the forward this month, who, it is estimated, would fetch a fee somewhere around the £100million mark.
Rodrygo arrived in the Spanish capital in 2019, and the 23-year-old has scored some vital goals on the way to three La Liga titles and a pair of Champions League crowns. Yet, a deal for the Brazilian may be complicated given his price tag, so Murphy offered up a cheaper option.
“Alternatively, if you’re looking at someone young and left-footed who could develop over the next five years and occupy that right-hand side in a similar fashion to Salah, then I’d look no further than Tyler Dibling from Southampton,” Murphy added.
Dibling has been a bright light in an otherwise dark beginning to the Saints’ season, with the 18-year-old looking a threat every time he touches the ball.
“I think he looks like someone who’s going to be a phenomenal talent in the future – he’s got a great left foot, can beat people, scores goals, and you can easily coach and mould him into the player you want,” concluded Murphy. “Either of those two would be fantastic replacements.”
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