Liverpool forward Mo Salah dropped gigantic news during the international break when he revealed that this would be his final season as a player at Anfield.
The Egypt international has agreed a deal with the club to release him from his contract a year earlier so that he can find a new team in the upcoming summer transfer window as a free agent.
Salah will move on after nine seasons on Merseyside since his £34m transfer from Italian side Roma in the summer of 2017 under Jurgen Klopp.
He did not arrive as a superstar signing for Liverpool from the Serie A team, as he had only scored two goals in 19 games for Chelsea in a first stint in the Premier League, but the left-footed ace is certainly leaving Anfield as a superstar.
After 436 appearances, 255 goals, 122 assists, two Premier League titles, and one Champions League crown, Salah will leave the Reds as a bona fide legend this summer.
Liverpool preparing move for Serie A star
The Egyptian star’s incredible success during his time with Liverpool should be a lesson to the club that they do not need to splash gigantic money on well-known stars to improve their squad.
Players like Sadio Mane, who joined from Southampton, and Andrew Robertson, who signed from Hull City, are also brilliant examples of that.
The Reds appear to have learned from those lessons because they are reportedly interested in signing a star who could be a Salah repeat at Anfield.
According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are eyeing up a move to sign Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Reds are preparing a serious move to sign the 21-year-old full-back to bolster their squad, with Tottenham Hotspur also said to be showing an interest in his services.
Caught Offside adds that it would take a fee of up to around £39m to convince Atalanta to part ways with the defender, who is currently on loan at Cagliari, and it remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool are willing to pay that much for him.
The outlet reveals that the reigning Premier League champions see him as a player who can offer short-term depth at right-back, whilst also being a potential future star.
Why Palestra would be a Salah repeat for Liverpool
Salah arrived at Anfield in 2017 as an exciting signing, given his form for Roma and the £34m fee, but he was not expected to be the superstar that he turned out to be.
Now, Palestra could follow in his footsteps because this report suggests that he would be signed as a back-up option to begin with, and for a fairly modest fee of £39m, from the Serie A side.
However, his performances for Cagliari on loan in the Italian top-flight in the 2026/27 campaign suggest that he could come through the door as an immediate starter for Arne Slot if given the chance to shine.
The Italy U21 international has started 29 of his 30 appearances in the Serie A for Cagliari this season, scoring one goal and providing four assists, and his performances have been good enough to attract interest from Liverpool and Spurs.
His performances have been even more impressive than Conor Bradley’s were in the Premier League before he sustained his long-term injury against Arsenal, suggesting that the Italian starlet would be the best right-back option available to Slot.
|
25/26 league season |
Palestra |
Bradley |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
30 |
15 |
|
Goals |
1 |
0 |
|
Assists |
4 |
1 |
|
Tackles won per game |
1.6 |
1.3 |
|
Duels won per game |
7.1 |
4.1 |
|
Dribbled past per game |
0.5 |
1.0x |
|
Ground duel success rate |
63% |
44% |
Palestra has offered more to Cagliari in and out of possession in the Serie A than Bradley offered the Reds during his time in the team in the Premier League earlier this term.
These statistics suggest that the £39m-rated star would be a bigger creative threat for Slot, with his ability to create goals for his teammates, whilst also winning more physical duels and being dribbled past less frequently by opposition wingers.
Therefore, Palestra appears to be more suited to arriving at Anfield as a first-team star who can make an immediate impact in the first-team, rather than arriving as a back-up option.
That means that, if Liverpool can agree a deal for his services, the Italian youngster could surpass expectations and go on to become a superstar with the Reds, in the same way that Salah did after his similar move from Italy.
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The pressure on Arne Slot is increasing.