Mohamed Salah is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. After 255 goals in 435 appearances — and missing just 11 matches through injury across nine years — the task of replacing him isn't a transfer problem so much as a generational one.
The Reds know that. So instead of hunting a like-for-like, the club appears to be weighing a range of profiles: some expensive and ambitious, some more measured. Here's how each option stacks up.
The Dream Option and the Probable Roadblock
Michael Olise ticks every stylistic box. At 24, he cuts inside from the right onto his left foot, just like Salah. He's already posting 16 goals and 27 assists across all competitions for Bayern Munich this season. The problem? Bayern aren't selling. Club president Uli Hoeness made it bluntly personal: "Liverpool have already spent €500 million this year and are having a very poor season. We won't contribute to them playing better next year." That's not negotiating posture — that's a door being shut. With a reported fee between £140m and £180m, FSG would need to seriously overhaul their spending logic to make Olise happen.
Far more realistic, RB Leipzig's Lamine Diomande offers a cheaper but genuinely exciting alternative at around £87m. The 19-year-old Ivorian has scored 10 and assisted seven in 26 Bundesliga appearances this season — numbers that would impress for any age, let alone a teenager. Liverpool's relationship with Leipzig runs deep: Szoboszlai and Konaté both came through that pipeline. Jurgen Klopp's role as Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer doesn't hurt either. Manchester United are also linked, but Liverpool have the structural advantage here.
PSG, Newcastle, and the Budget Tier
Bryan Barcola at PSG is an intriguing wildcard. He's 23, has scored 10 Ligue 1 goals this season, and PSG's attacking depth — Doue, Kvaratskhelia, Dembele — means someone is going to be available. Barcola started only 15 of 26 league games. European champions don't carry passengers, but they do sell surplus. The fee would sit in a similar bracket to Diomande.
Anthony Gordon represents the domestic option. He's a boyhood Liverpool fan, currently outscoring almost everyone in the Champions League — only Mbappé has more goals in the competition this term. But Gordon plays left or centre, not right, and he signed a new Newcastle deal less than 18 months ago. If the Magpies miss out on European football next season, the calculus changes. At around £75m, the price is fair for what he'd bring.
- Yankuba Minteh (Brighton) — The most cost-effective option. Left-footed right winger, 21 years old, and already familiar with Arne Slot from their year together at Feyenoord in 2023/24. Two league goals this season looks thin, but Liverpool watched him closely before the international break and evidently liked what they saw. Brighton sell well and price fairly. This one could be a steal.
- Francisco Conceicao (Juventus) — Cheapest on the list at around £52m. The 23-year-old Portuguese joined Juventus permanently from Porto only last summer and has managed just three goals and three assists in Serie A. When asked about Liverpool interest on international duty, he said he was "happy in Turin." That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of the deal.
Liverpool's spending last summer was substantial, and whatever FSG sanction this window will likely reflect that. Minteh or Conceicao represent the financial reality; Diomande or Barcola the ambition. Olise, for now, is a fantasy. The right-wing odds market is about to get very interesting — whoever Slot lands there will shape how this Liverpool team is priced for years to come.
