Liverpool icon identified by PSG as perfect Messi replacement as reporter confirms contact underway

Paris Saint-Germain could make a move for a heroic Liverpool attacker as a potential replacement for Lionel Messi this summer, according to a reporter.

Messi will be out of contract at PSG at the end of the season, unless they can renew his deal. As one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, it is only natural that the World Cup winner will be of interest to plenty of other clubs too.

TEAMtalk was recently given the lowdown on Messi’s situation in Paris. Trusted reporter Ben Jacobs told us there is no verbal pact between the Argentine attacker and his current club, although they are still confident of keeping him.

But the Ligue 1 champions will have to plan for either scenario. And if Messi does depart, he will obviously be a tough act to follow.

There have been some claims recently that one option for PSG could be to sign Mohamed Salah from Liverpool. Now, those claims have been backed up by SportItalia journalist, Rudy Galetti.

According to Galetti, the “first contact” between PSG and Salah has “already taken place”. It seems he is firmly on the French club’s radar.

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Salah signed a contract extension until 2025 before the start of the current season. Since then, he has scored 19 goals from 34 games.

However, Liverpool’s form as a team has been underwhelming. Therefore, the idea of them sacrificing Salah in order to regenerate their squad has been speculated.

Few clubs in the world would be able to afford the 30-year-old, but PSG certainly have plenty of financial power behind them. If Salah is to leave Liverpool, then a move to the French capital might be one of his likeliest exit routes.

Salah exit would hurt Liverpool

It is not yet clear how much Liverpool might be able to earn in terms of a transfer fee. But a player who has scored 175 goals for them across 288 appearances will have a value of some significance.

As a right winger who favours his left foot, Salah could be an ideal replacement for Messi at PSG. It would be his first taste of playing in Ligue 1 after previously representing clubs in Egypt, Switzerland, Italy and England.

When the time comes for Liverpool to bid farewell to Salah, it will represent the end of an era. He has been one of their greatest ever goalscorers during his six seasons with the club to date.

Liverpool have other options who could help evolve their own attack, without necessarily needing to go back into the transfer market themselves. Up front, they have already equipped themselves with the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo in recent transfer windows.

They also have Diogo Jota available to them and are hoping to retain Roberto Firmino. For the longer term, they are developing young talents like Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.

Even so, Salah would be a big player for Liverpool to lose. His form this season, while the club have been struggling, shows how he can still be a standout player.

For now, Liverpool will just have to hope they can keep relying on Salah while he is still at their disposal. But it seems their decision to renew his contract last year has not fended off other potential suitors.

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