Liverpool have reportedly identified Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah.
According to Fichajes, Real Madrid star Marco Asensio is one of four names Liverpool have identified to replace Mohamed Salah should the Egyptian international decide to move on from Anfield. The other three players who the Reds could target are Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry and Paris Saint-Germain’s Angel Di Maria.
Salah will have a year remaining on his contract after the ongoing season. Talks over a possible extension haven’t gone smoothly so far, with the player reluctant to accept the Reds’ latest offer. However, the contract talks haven’t affected his on-field performances, as he continues to lead the club’s charge for a possible quadruple.
The 29-year-old has hit unforeseen heights at Anfield this season and has been one of the world’s best players over the last year. He has scored 28 goals in 35 appearances for the club across all competitions this season and has provided 10 assists. Salah is currently leading the Premier League goalscoring charts with 20 goals and looks set to win the Golden Boot.
All in all, the forward has made 238 appearances for the Reds, scoring 153 goals since joining them in 2017 from AS Roma. With Salah leading the club’s attack during their most successful period in recent memory, his departure could leave a big hole to fill at Liverpool. As a result, they have already started looking for potential replacements.
Asensio, one of the players on their list, is having a great season with Los Blancos after a series of disappointing campaigns. Since being promoted to the club’s first team in the 2016/17 season, the Spaniard is yet to score ten league goals in a season – a mark he looks set to breach this season.
The 26-year-old has scored ten goals across competitions for Real Madrid this term, including eight in La Liga. But he is at risk of falling down the pecking order ahead of Kylian Mbappe’s impending move to Los Blancos.
Asensio’s recent form has alerted Liverpool, and with just a year remaining on his contract after the current season, he could be a good option for the Reds and might come in a bit cheaper. But all of it depends on Salah’s contract situation at Anfield.