Liverpool make electric Prem star their top target to replace Salah – but eye-watering cost means deal must wait

Liverpool are seriously considering making a move for Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo in 2025 as they look for possible Mohamed Salah replacements, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.

Arne Slot has the Reds challenging for the Premier League title this season and has seemingly replaced Jurgen Klopp with ease at Anfield – but he faces losing the Egyptian international next summer.

Liverpool are trying to convince him to stay put but our sources are adamant the 32-year-old will bring his spell with the Merseyside club to an end in just over six months when his contract expires.

Finding a replacement for Salah will not be easy, but TEAMtalk understands they are heavily scouting Brentford’s Mbeumo and there is a real possibility they could try to sign him in the coming months.

Our sources state the 25-year-old would be very keen to play under Slot but he may have to force the hand of the Bees, who have no intention of selling him in the January transfer window.

Figureheads at Anfield believe a deal could be done for £60m (€71.5m, $78m) but Brentford sources state it will take even more than that to prise him away from the west London side and a transfer is more likely at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

This could be problematic for Liverpool as they will face greater competition for the Cameroon international next summer, with Newcastle United still holding an interest after holding talks with him earlier this year.

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Mbeumo to play at “highest level”

With Liverpool not confident they will be able to retain the services of Salah, the search for an alternative is very much underway. Mbeumo is one such target but Brentford hold him in very high regard.

Indeed, Brentford boss Thomas Frank has tipped Mbeumo to play for a “bigger club” one day and that he can go right to the top.

In October, he said: “He’s added another layer this year. For me, he’s a top player. I’m convinced one day he will play for a bigger club; I will definitely buy him if I was at a bigger club.”

The Dane added this month: “He’s flying, and I think that development is fantastic. And his ambitions, I love it – you can’t achieve anything without ambitions. So I understand him, and I think he’s got the qualities to play at the highest level.”

Mbeumo’s contract at Gtech Community Stadium currently runs until the summer of 2026 but the club have an option to extend that deal by a further year.

So far this season he has scored a whopping eight goals in 10 Premier League appearances and if he continues to keep up this stellar run of form, a whole host of clubs will be jostling with one another for his signature.

Liverpool eye European wonderkid

TEAMtalk previously revealed that Liverpool and Chelsea are both monitoring the progress of Red Star Belgrade attacking midfielder Andrija Maksimovic.

The 17-year-old – who can play as a number 10, central midfielder or winger – has notched 12 goal contributions in 16 appearances across all competitions this season and that has caught the attention of Premier League sides. 

La Liga leaders Barcelona have reportedly joined the race to sign Salah if he becomes a free agent next summer.

The Egyptian is also the subject of interest from Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal, more than a year on from the Reds rejecting a £150m (€178.9m, $194.7m) offer from Al-Ittihad.

Elsewhere, Liverpool reportedly face competition to Eintracht Frankfurt star Omar Marmoush – whose contract runs until 2027 with the Bundesliga outfit.

Manchester City and Bayern Munich are said to be interested in the 25-year-old after a strong start to the season.

Big shoes to fill

If Mbeumo did replace Salah at Anfield, it would be an almost impossible task to fill the Egyptian’s shoes at the club – as evidenced by his statistics below.