Danny Murphy says Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should be a realistic transfer target for Liverpool this summer when Mohamed Salah departs and the Egyptian needs to be replaced
16:13, 30 Apr 2026
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of PSG during the Champions League game against Bayern Munich.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of PSG during the Champions League game against Bayern Munich.(Image: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says the Reds should be able to attract a player like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to replace Mohamed Salah this summer — though he has other alternatives in mind too.
Kvaratskhelia starred for PSG this week in the incredible Champions League semi-final first leg between the Ligue 1 giant and Bayern Munich. While Liverpool has taken a look at the Georgian in the past, there is no suggestion that he would be keen on leaving Luis Enrique's side any time soon.
"It is a difficult one, because no one is going to come in and hit Salah's numbers," Murphy said. "I think that is going to be impossible. So, you would have to replace the numbers with maybe two players instead of one.
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"When you are Liverpool Football Club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, you have to go out and try to get the best players. Kvaratskhelia is probably the best right-sided player in world football right now.
"Could they tempt him? Maybe not, but we have seen many times that the best players want to play in the best league in the world and in one of the biggest clubs.
"I would be trying to go for someone like him. Maybe he won't score the same amount of goals as Salah, but you know he is not going to fail. He is that good, he really is."
RB Leipzig ace Yan Diomande may be a more realistic target for Liverpool, though the expectation is that the Bundesliga team will demand a fee of around $117 million (£85 million).
Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig
Yan Diomande has enjoyed a productive season with RB Leipzig(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"If they can't get Kvaratskhelia and they go more down the route of getting younger players with potential, then Diomande is a good option — he is a super talent," Murphy said.
"He is direct, he is quick, he can play on both sides. I think the Liverpool fans would be excited for that deal, but the problem is that players like that can take some time to adjust and integrate into the group.
"It is going to be fascinating to see how they will cope with that, because Salah is obviously leaving the biggest hole, even though he is actually one of the reasons why it hasn't been good this season.
"Normally, the club could rely on him to score 30-40 goals, whatever it is, so that will be a very interesting journey for Liverpool. My gut feeling is they will probably bring in two players. One who is a bit younger and then one established player."
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Murphy also has a clear idea of who should be targeted as the older option, on the condition that Tottenham stays up and it is West Ham that gets relegated.
"Probably, the one player in the Premier League, I could see, if West Ham were to go down, is Bowen," Murphy, speaking to Ace Odds, continued.
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"I think he is good enough to embrace playing Champions League football and embrace playing at a bigger club. I don't think he would struggle with the adaptation.
"He scores goals, he is a threat, and he plays a lot of games. He is experienced as well.
"The only problem is that his profile with his age is not really what Liverpool does. But Bowen is the one standout right-sided player from the Premier League, who I think you can pick up, put him in, and let him go."