Al Ittihad are heating up their transfer pursuit of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah - and the Reds have already identified their perfect replacement if he leaves the club.
At present, Liverpool's stance - publicly stated by manager Jurgen Klopp - is that Salah is not for sale, with the club desperate to keep hold of him beyond the current transfer window.
The Egyptian has made no comment on his future, but his agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, took to Twitter earlier this month to confirm that Salah is fully committed to Liverpool.
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There is no indication that, even if a big-money offer does come in from Al Ittihad, Salah would accept it, given the fact he signed a three-year contract with Liverpool last summer and remains in the prime of his career in Europe.
According to CBS Sports, the Saudi Pro League side are preparing a bid of around £130 million to sign the 31-year-old, and plan to make him one of the world's highest-paid players.
Meanwhile, Liverpool appear to be setting up a contingency plan should, from their perspective, the unthinkable happens that would see Salah leave Anfield.
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Liverpool 'identify Mo Salah replacement'
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Reds have identified Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi and Bayern Munich's Leroy Sane as potential replacements for Salah.
A move for Sane would arrive with the advantage of the player having Premier League experience with Manchester City.
Adeyemi, meanwhile, is just 21 but has already impressed during spells with RB Leipzig and Dortmund.
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But their top target is said to be Juventus star Federico Chiesa, who has been consistently linked with a move to the Reds during the current window.
After signing for Juve on loan from Fiorentina in 2020, the Italy international provided 15 goal contributions in his debut season for the club.
But he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January 2022, and missed eight months of action as a result.
He made 21 Serie A appearances last term, with the majority of those from the bench, as he worked his way back to full match sharpness.
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Chiesa has started this season well, scoring in Juve's 3-0 win over Udinese on the opening day of the Serie A campaign.
His injury struggles have led to a dip in value from €70 million to €40 million, as per Transfermarkt, but Juve are likely to still command a premium for one of their key assets as he returns to his pre-injury form levels.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Liverpool, Premier League, Mohamed Salah, Saudi Pro League, Transfers