Liverpool have transfer market options, but there's no replacing Mohamed Salah with Al-Ittihad offer looming

There are plenty of players who could replace Salah in the lineup, but replacing his production is easier said than done

One of the defining traits of Liverpool under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has been their willingness to get out from under contracts at a time when many in the game would cling on. The prime example of this was Philippe Coutinho, setting the Premier League alight until the moment the Anfield hierarchy cashed out and Barcelona got to manage his decline. Even at a lower price point, however, Liverpool have proven themselves to be willing to take the money even if it runs the risk of harming the on-field product.

How much better might Jurgen Klopp's side have been in the opening weeks of the season if they had concluded that yes, £40 million a piece would be nice for the aging Jordan Henderson and Fabinho but keeping one around to tide things over would be no bad idea?

It might appear curious then that Liverpool are so resolute in their stance where Al-Ittihad's interest in Mohamed Salah is concerned. The Saudi champions are prepared to offer a deal worth up to $162 million for the 31-year-old, as CBS Sports revealed on Monday. That isn't all that makes this offer look tempting, there is the most expensive contract in the club's history to consider. Salah is still due over $30 million in salary. As good as he has been at the start of the season, that was always a deal signed with the assumption that he would not be the player he was by the time it expired.

Cashing in on Salah at the peak of his value would open up all sorts of avenues for Jurgen Klopp's side even if there would surely be a short-term drop off in results. Liverpool have been linked with the likes of Federico Chiesa and Joao Felix but with the sort of returns they would get from Al-Ittihad, they could set their sights on the best and brightest.

If they want a forward to replicate Salah's ball progression and dribbling wizardry, Kaoru Mitoma would surely be tempting. Brighton don't need the money but every player has their price and on the basis of the last few months, it would take a lot to overpay for the Japanese winger. Given Barcelona's ongoing need for cash, Raphinha could be secured at the last minute. Rafael Leao might have signed a new contract but all the money Liverpool would have at their disposal would surely get them a meeting with AC Milan at least.

Then there is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a frequent shooter but above all one of Europe's best creators. Considering recent business has given Liverpool a lot of forwards who like to get their shots, he would be by far the best addition to play alongside the likes of Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, the sort of dribbler and playmaker who can get his while laying on all sorts of chances for those around him. He is the sort of home-run acquisition who would have any attack set for years to come if only Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis could be convinced to play ball. That would take a Herculean effort at any time of year, a few hours before the transfer window closes, it might simply be impossible.

Hence why Al-Ittihad will find it so difficult to acquire Salah. Approach Liverpool at the start of the summer transfer window with such a gaudy offer and the conversation might take on a different tenor. Klopp's side have had more than enough trouble this month trying to spend their Henderson and Fabinho cash on a new midfielder, the last thing they need is to be chasing a replacement for one of world football's best attackers.

That is the other critical factor: Salah has not really dropped off yet. His combined non-penalty expected goals and expected assists (npxG+xA) per 90 minutes might have slowed somewhat in last season's Premier League but the most logical explanation of that is that he was stationed further out to the right as Klopp rejigged his side. Anyway, 0.65 npxG+xA per 90 is not worth sniffing at just because the Egyptian hit 0.81 in the preceding campaign.

Three games into this season Salah is still delivering moments of brilliance, stirring assists for Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez that have been worthy of winning the biggest and best of matches. In the case of the latter, that is exactly what it was, snatching a point from Newcastle and handing two to Liverpool. There might be 35 games to go but that one moment of incision could have an outsized impact in the Premier League's final reckoning. More so than any forward that they could get this summer (and perhaps any forward in the world who isn't named Erling Haaland or Lionel Messi), Salah is a points winner. He could be the difference between this team returning to the top table of European football or extending a spell in the wilderness that gets harder to return from every year that you are not getting Champions League broadcast revenue.

As for the other revenue, on the balance of probability, a fair chunk of it should still be on offer in a year's time. Salah is one of the most high-profile Muslim footballers on the planet, a star whose acquisition Saudi sources believe would make amends for what they term the Lionel Messi fiasco. Given that the Public Investment Fund which owns Al-Ittihad and three other clubs had initially earmarked Salah as a 2024 acquisition, it is reasonable to assume that they won't simply abandon their pursuit if the Reds hold firm for the remainder of this summer.

In normal circumstances, when a club offers anything close to $162 million for your 30-year-old forward you, don't hesitate to say yes. Then again, this is Salah, a player whose normal circumstances are almost everyone else's extraordinary performances. It is easy to see why even Liverpool, masters of the early cash-out, would want more time with their Egyptian king.