Liverpool to pounce for record-breaking Barcelona attacker as Mo Salah replacement; Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea all lurk

Liverpool have been tipped to swoop for Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal as they continue the search for Mo Salah’s successor, though the Reds will reportedly face competition from Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Liverpool held firm in the summer by rejecting Al-Ittihad’s massive £150million bid for Salah. The Saudi Pro League side are preparing to launch a new attempt for Salah in the summer, but Liverpool are expected to knock it back once again as they do not want to deprive Jurgen Klopp of the Egyptian.

Even if Salah does remain at Anfield for the next couple of seasons, Liverpool must start to prepare for life after the devastating goalscorer. After all, he is now 31 years old, which means it may not be too long before he starts to decline.

One way Liverpool could prepare for Salah’s departure or decline is by landing Yamal from Barca. He is a 16-year-old right winger who has broken several records during his time at the Nou Camp.

Yamal is the youngest player to represent Barca in a first-team game, having featured against Real Betis in April when he was just 15 years, nine months and 16 days old. The teenager is also the youngest player to have started a La Liga match for Barca.

Despite his age, Yamal is emerging into an important player for Xavi. Indeed, he has appeared in 28 games so far this season, registering two goals and five assists in that time.

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But Barca’s tricky financial situation means they might have to consider selling some of their prized assets, and the four-cap Spain international is not short of suitors.

According to reports emerging from Catalonia, Liverpool have him ‘in their sights’ and believe he could learn from Salah before eventually becoming a top-class forward replacement.

Liverpool among four clubs eyeing Barcelona wonderkid

transfermarkt value the wide man at €60m (£51m), while his Barca contract includes a stunning €1bn (£854m) release clause. However, Liverpool feel they might be able to get him for a reasonable price if Barca are forced to put some of their top players on the market.

Unfortunately for Jurgen Klopp’s side, it will not be simple to capture Yamal. That is because Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea are also tracking his situation ahead of potentially making bids of their own.

Due to this, there could be a scrap for Yamal’s services this summer that involves some of the Premier League’s biggest teams.

While Darwin Nunez plays in a different position to Salah, former Liverpool ace Michael Owen has backed the Uruguayan centre-forward to eventually become the club’s main man.

“Nunez is a player that has divided opinion. I think he’s very raw in some of his play, but I also think he’s exceptional in some of his play,” the pundit said.

“When you think of Liverpool for the future, it’s obviously not going to be with Mo Salah forever so somebody’s going to have to step up, or they’re going to have to replace him with someone that’s going to try and replace his goals.

“This guy [Nunez] is probably the one guy in the team that’s got the scope to be able to do that, I see him developing into an absolute force in the Premier League. I still think he could go the other way, I still think he’s not the full package yet, but he does things that absolutely blow your mind.

“He’s so strong, he’s so direct, he’s so quick and he’s got so much ability, if he can just brush up in certain areas he could be the real deal.”

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