Liverpool is still searching for its ideal Mohamed Salah replacement after being knocked back by Yan Diomande, with alternatives being considered - but who should the Reds go after?
04:00, 10 Jul 2026
Bradley Barcola (France) during Round of 16 FIFA World Cup 2026, Paraguay and France, Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, United States on July 04 2026. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Bradley Barcola could be an option for Liverpool to replace Mohamed Salah(Image: Getty Images)
As the World Cup reaches its latter stages, it won’t be long until focus shifts back to the club game again - and Liverpool begins its new era.
Andoni Iraola is the man tasked with restoring the Reds as title contenders after Arne Slot paid the price for a poor 2025/26 season. The Spaniard has already had his first glimpse at his new squad, with more of Liverpool’s players set to report back to training as pre-season officially gets underway next week.
There will of course be a major difference in the playing squad this summer, with no Mohamed Salah for the first time since 2017. Rather more worrying for Liverpool fans, the club hasn’t yet found his replacement.
Yan Diomande was the club’s first-choice, but that option now looks to have gone out of the window, with the 19-year-old favoring a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Liverpool will have to find an alternative option then, but with a little over a month to go until the new Premier League season begins, it’s still not clear who that will be. Bradley Barcola is the most prominent name being linked, while three other names have reportedly been shortlisted - Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, FC Koln’s Said El Mala, and Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo.
But who should Liverpool make the heir to Salah’s throne? Our Liverpool.com writers have had their say…
Matt Addison - Bradley Barcola
There is no doubt in my mind that Barcola is the best of the wingers who are likely to be attainable this summer. That is not to say that he will definitely be on the move in the next few weeks, but it definitely feels plausible.
If PSG signs Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche, then that would surely only make him even more determined to go somewhere that he would be more valued. Where better than Liverpool, which has a gaping hole ready to be filled?
France's Bradley BARCOLA celebrates his goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 - Round of 32 match between France and Sweden at MetLife Stadium on June 30, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Baptiste Fernandez/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Bradley Barcola's future remains uncertain(Image: Getty Images)
Barcola can play on both sides - left and right - and he has all the ingredients required to take the next step at Anfield. Liverpool needs pace, goals and creativity, and he can provide all three.
Minteh, El Mala and Fernandez-Pardo - though I know very little about the latter - all have traits that could be appealing. None is anything close to a guarantee of quality, however, when Barcola very much would be.
James Findlater - Bradley Barcola
If you want the best possible winger that could be available, then it has to be Barcola. Don't be fooled by him falling down the pecking order at PSG - that's just a sign of the ridiculous amount of talent Luis Enrique has at his disposal.
With the other names that have been mentioned as potential alternatives, Liverpool would be gambling somewhat on them. Barcola is much more of a guarantee of quality, as he's showing at the World Cup at the moment.
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Not that there isn't some risk involved in his signing. For starters, PSG won't let him go cheaply, if they let him go at all, and Liverpool has other areas that need addressing in the squad.
Secondly, Barcola is primarily a left-winger, meaning the Reds might not get the most out of him if they switch him to the opposite side. You need quality if you're replacing someone like Salah though, and the Frenchman undoubtedly offers that.
Daniel Blackham - Kevin Schade
Having spent an awful lot of time looking at Kevin Schade up close and personal in my role as resident Brentford fan on the team, I can genuinely say there's a diamond in the rough there for Liverpool if FSG is prepared to take the gamble.
Schade, a Germany international, has experience playing in the Premier League and - perhaps most crucially - he has the ability to play anywhere across the front three and look natural doing it.
Kevin Schade of Brentford in action during the Premier League match between Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers
Kevin Schade could be an alternative option in the transfer window this summer(Image: (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images))
His blistering pace means he can beat any defender in the league in a footrace, and can either stick out wide to create chances for a central striker - looking at you, Alexander Isak - or pull inside and get one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He's underrated in the air, too, for what it's worth.
He does have drawbacks, however. His price tag would likely be somewhere north of the $60 million mark, and his inconsistency has been a slight issue for him while he's been at the club, which many have put down to confidence issues.
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Liverpool is looking for a winger with electric pace who will get fans off their feet - look no further.