Liverpool should be at the front of the queue for one Premier League star in particular as they may have to begin contingency plans for replacing Mohamed Salah.
Since signing for Liverpool from AS Roma in the summer of 2017, Mohamed Salah has been the best player in the Premier League by some distance.
He has scored 14 Premier League goals for Jurgen Klopp’s men this season and since moving back to England, after a brief and unsuccessful spell at Chelsea, he has scored 204 goals for the Reds and provided 88 assists.
However, the looming shadow of the Saudi Pro League is getting bigger and bigger as sides from the Middle East begin to circle for the Egyptian, replacements may need to be sought after sooner rather than later.
Olise alternative
HITC Football understands that Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise has the pick of the Premier League’s top clubs this summer and a move in the Summer transfer window is looking likely.
The Frenchman has a release clause in his contract which is over £50 million but this does not come into effect until the Summer window, hence why a move this January has been ruled out by club and player.
Olise would prefer to stay in the capital but a move North would not be ruled out by the player, which is where Liverpool have to come into the equation.
The Anfield club were bombarded with transfer offers from the Middle East over the summer with a £200 million bid being rejected, according to the Daily Mail.
If Liverpool decide to cash in on Salah, who turns 32 in June then they have to be at the front of the queue for the creative dynamite that is Olise.
Chelsea tried and failed to sign the French wideman over the summer and he has proven, in the absence of Palace legend Wilfred Zaha, that he can perform on the big stage week in, week out.
What would Olise bring to Liverpool
The 22-year-old Frenchman may not be able to offer the goals that Salah has offered to Liverpool over the past seven years but the creativity from wide areas would be key.
Olise, according to FBREF, has an expected assist rate of 0.35 per 90 minutes, effectively meaning he should average an assist every three games based on the chances he creates.
The Frenchman is playing in a side who have been profligate in front of goal all season with Roy Hodgson’s Palace netting only 22 goals this campaign.
If Olise was creating these chances for Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, or Darwin Nunez, then you would expect his assist rate to soar throughout the campaign.
For around £50 million, Liverpool could have a replacement for Salah, not necessarily in terms of the player profile of the 22-year-old but what he could add to Liverpool, in a different sense, could be vital.
Making over £100 million on the sale of Salah to the Saudi Pro League, if they choose to do so, and signing Olise for half that price could be a repeat of the superb Philippe Coutinho deal they pulled off back in 2018.
Liverpool sold the Brazilian to Barcelona for £142 million, which allowed them to sign Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson.
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