Stephen Warnock has named the player he’d like to see at Liverpool as Mo Salah’s successor on the right flank and has said that the Egyptian is ‘replaceable’ at Anfield.
The 31-year-old was the subject of a £150m offer from Al-Ittihad a few weeks ago (The Mirror), and while the Reds rejected that bid, interest from the Saudi Pro League is likely to materialise again in 2024.
The former LFC defender was speaking on talkSPORT when he cited Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as the player who ‘spring to mind’ when it comes to a long-term replacement in attack.
Warnock stated (via The Mirror): “Everyone’s replaceable. I’ve said it about [Luis] Suarez, I’ve said it about [Philippe] Coutinho, and [Salah] will be replaceable in time.
“I think the big problem is with Salah, if you get a £175m offer from Saudi Arabia, that’s difficult to say no to. I wouldn’t sell him in January but maybe next season, but only if you’ve got someone else lined up. You’d have to have someone exciting lined up.
“The one player that springs to mind is Kvaratskhelia. He’s the one player you look at where you think he’s young and has potential and can play, but he’s a left-sided player. Could he play on the right?”
The Georgia winger dazzled for Napoli in their runaway Serie A triumph last season, scoring 12 goals and setting up 13 in the team’s victorious campaign (Transfermarkt).
Liverpool fans will recall his superb performance when the Italian outfit thrashed us 4-1 in the Champions League last autumn, after which Jurgen Klopp lauded the forward’s searing pace (The Mirror).
The 22-year-old predominantly plays on the left, as Warnock pointed out, but he has occasionally lined out on the opposite flank (Transfermarkt), so that could well be an option for the Reds manager if the Georgian comes to Anfield.
However, with reports of €100m (£86.4m) offers being made for him over the summer (Corriere dello Sport), and a contract running to 2027, LFC would need to stump up some serious cash to sign Kvaratskhelia.
Also, his tally of five goal contributions so far this season is only half of Salah’s from almost the same number of matches (Transfermarkt), so Liverpool should be in no hurry to cash in on the talismanic Egyptian just yet.