Real Madrid reportedly consider Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah as a potential alternative to Kylian Mbappe, who is their priority target this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Real Madrid seem to be keeping their options open in case they fail to secure the services of Kylian Mbappe this summer. The Spanish giants have set their sights on Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who has emerged as an alternative for the French superstar.
Mohamed Salah has completely transformed his career since joining Liverpool from AS Roma in the summer of 2017. A player who had the reputation of being explosive and wasteful at the same time has blossomed into a prolific forward under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp, finishing as Liverpool’s top scorer in each of the four seasons he has represented them.
To date, Salah has accumulated a record of 125 goals and 47 assists in 203 appearances for the Reds and is widely regarded as one of the best players in Europe at the moment. His exploits for Liverpool have duly been noted as well, with Real Madrid holding a long-standing interest in signing him.
Heading into the summer transfer window, Kylian Mbappe has been the priority target to bolster the Real Madrid attack. However, Paris Saint-Germain are intent on keeping hold of the French forward, despite the fact that he is in the final year of his current contract and there has been little to no development on the renewal front.
As a result, Real Madrid have had to draw up a shortlist of potential alternatives for Mbappe, with Salah featuring in such a list. Apart from Salah, Roberto Lewandowski, Kingsley Coman, and fellow Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane have all been linked with the Merengues as alternatives to Mbappe.
The eagerness to bolster the wide attacking slot is understandable as well, considering Gareth Bale is facing an uncertain future at Real Madrid after returning from his loan spell with Tottenham, while Eden Hazard’s fitness woes have forced him to miss more games than he has played for Los Blancos.
The arrival of someone like Salah would take some of the burden off of Karim Benzema while still allowing Real Madrid to facilitate the growth of talented youngsters like Marco Asensio, Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Jr. Meanwhile, Liverpool have also been heavily linked with wide forwards this summer, with Mbappe being one of their targets.
What now remains to be seen is if Real Madrid decide to cede their pursuit of Mbappe this summer before turning their attention towards an alternative. It will also be interesting to see if Salah is the first option they turn to, in which case Liverpool’s stance on a potential summer sale will remain to be seen as well.
