With Mohamed Salah set to leave in the summer, Liverpool need to strengthen their forward line, and a £55m striker has now emerged as their number one target.
Reds eyeing new forwards with Salah’s time at Anfield coming to end
Salah has confirmed he will depart in the summer, after a hugely successful nine-year spell on Merseyside, and former striker John Aldridge is hoping the news will spur the Reds on heading into the business end of the season.
Aldridge said: “It’s time to go out with a bang, not a whimper. You hope the Salah news has a positive impact, similar to how Jurgen Klopp’s news did two years ago, when he announced in January that his time at the club was ending.
“It can act as the wind in the sails and there is no doubt it powered Liverpool through during that Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea in 2024.”
With the Egyptian King set to move on, FSG have been hard at work trying to bring in a replacement, identifying the likes of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as targets.
Bringing in an out-and-out striker is also of interest, and the Reds are now looking to raid Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who have been showing “strong” interest in Salah, as per reporter Ben Jacobs.
£55m forward emerges as Liverpool’s top target
According to a report from Sports Boom, Liverpool have now identified Al-Hilal striker Marcos Leonardo as their top target for the summer transfer window, with the Saudi Pro League side looking to hold out for a fee of £50m – £55m.
Tottenham Hotspur are also in the race for Leonardo’s signature, but the Reds could be better placed to get a deal over the line, given that it is starting to look likely they will have Champions League football on offer next season and could use Salah as a makeweight in the deal.
Al-Hilal are reluctant to sanction a departure, which is no surprise, given that the Brazilian has been one of their key players ever since his arrival in 2024, chipping in with 44 goals and five assists in 72 matches across all competitions.
The 22-year-old has regularly been on the scoresheet everywhere he’s been, netting eight goals in 24 games for Benfica, while also receiving plaudits for his performances for Santos from scout Jacek Kulig.
That said, £55m would be a huge price to pay for a striker yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues, and bringing in a new right-winger should perhaps be a bigger priority for Liverpool, with Salah set to depart.
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