Mohamed Salah gestures during a Liverpool matchplaceholder image
Mohamed Salah gestures during a Liverpool match | Getty Images
Liverpool will have a decision to make about Mo Salah in the summer, but who should the sign to replace him?
Liverpool might have had a quiet winter transfer window, however, there is a Mohamed Salah shaped elephant in the room that will need to be addressed in the summer.
The Anfield legend hasn’t been anywhere near his title and record breaking form of last season and, at 34-years old by the time next season kicks off, he would have to defy nature to rediscover that sort of scoring touch.
Two names linked to replace Mohamed Salah
The decision to extend his contract made a lot of sense because it means that a transfer fee can still be demanded. Should interest return from the Middle East, there is no reason why Liverpool couldn’t negotiate the sort of fee that would almost cover the cost of Salah’s replacement.
Wingers don’t come cheap, especially ones who are needed to score goals and create goals on an almost weekly basis. Numbers like Salah’s might be out of the question, but Liverpool will be shopping at the top end of the market.
There are two main names doing the rounds; Bradley Barcola and Yan Diomande. Diomande is the younger of the two at 19, whilst Barcola is 23.
Both players fit the profile that Liverpool have been looking for and could form a formidable forward line with Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. RB Leipzig’s price for Diomande is £87m and, coincidentally, so is Paris Saint Germain’s for Barcola. The difference, is in how they play.
Which one should Liverpool sign?
Ivory Coast international Diomande is a dribbler, a maverick in the mould of Khvichi Kvaratskhelia. Barcola is a creator, a crosser, a winger who gets behind defences then cuts it back to onrushing midfielders and attackers.
Using DataMB’s comparison model, it is easy to see how the two wingers measure up. The short version is, it is a coin toss, it depends what type of player Liverpool want. Do they want a player who is more predictable and consistent, or someone who can be anonymous for the whole game but then win it with a moment of genius?
Radar image comparing PSG's Bradley Barcola (blue) and Yan Diomande (red) using 2025/26 statistics.placeholder image
Radar image comparing PSG's Bradley Barcola (blue) and Yan Diomande (red) using 2025/26 statistics. | Data MB.
Who should Liverpool sign? The eye test isn’t even close. Diomande is electric. He has terrorised Bundesliga defences all season. Sometimes all on his own. This is what Liverpool needs. A maverick to balance off the control and composure of Wirtz.
A player who can take two defenders away from his teammates but who is every bit as capable of getting goals and assists. Wirtz and Ekitike have shown that the leap from the Bundesliga to the Premier League isn’t too big, Diomande should be the next.
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