Mo Salah contract news: Replacement identified for Liverpool after £53m bid rejected

Liverpool have been told who their ideal Mohamed Salah replacement could be - if the Egyptian winger does not sign a new deal at Anfield. Salah has established himself in Anfield folklore since his move from AS Roma in 2017 and is having one of his best seasons to date.

He scored and assisted as Liverpool were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw at Aston Villa as they dropped more points in the Premier League title race. Salah - along with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold - are all out of contract this summer and as things stand none of the trio have penned new deals.

All three are free to discuss pre-contracts with clubs outside of England. Salah has been vocal that the current season is his final one at the club but has hinted he would be keen to remain on Merseyside.

Possible Salah replacement identified

Former Premier League winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has told BetVictor that he believes Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma would be the ideal replacement if Salah was to leave Liverpool in the summer.

He said: “If Mohamed Salah does leave Liverpool this season then I’m not sure there’s anyone in the world at the moment who could replace him like-for-like and put up the same numbers he does season after season. However, I do think there are wingers out there that could replace him in a different way, putting up more numbers in terms of creating chances and bringing other players into play, as well as chipping in with goals.

“Kaoru Mitoma is the one I’d pick to replace him. He’d probably be my first choice – I’m really surprised that no European clubs have come in for him. The other is Nico Williams. He’s a good winger and we saw exactly what he can do at the Euros. I can imagine Arne Slot would get a tune out of those two. That said, to put up the same numbers as Salah has in his time at Liverpool will be nearly impossible because his numbers are insane!”

Brighton rejected Mitoma bid in January

In late January, the Seagulls rejected a £53m bid from Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr for Japan international Mitoma. That is according to CBS Sports who further claimed that Al-Nassr were preparing a second offer worth up to £90m. That never came, however with Mitoma is under contract at the Amex Stadium until 2027.

He earned praise from Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler last week after a stunning goal in a 3-0 win over Chelsea. He said: “You don’t see regularly special things like this, but he works really hard. He’s fully committed to the club. He tries to improve himself every day. He is very professional and then on top of that he is able to do special things like this.

“If I look back on my career, I don’t know if I ever saw something like this as a coach from my own player, because it was very special. When the ball is coming over your head, then it starts with the co-ordination. To co-ordinate everything, the speed of the ball, the height of the ball and your legs is a special thing, because we shouldn’t underestimate that he was in a full sprint. I wouldn’t try it at home, but he has a special talent.”