Chelsea could prevent Liverpool from signing their successor to Mohamed Salah if he moves to the Saudi Pro League.
The Egyptian was the subject of a bid totalling £150 million from the Saudi Arabian top division, who wanted to sign him for Al Ittihad.
The verbal bid, which was placed shortly before deadline day in England, was swiftly turned down by Liverpool.
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The Saudi Pro League reportedly accepted that Salah would not be sold by the Reds this summer, and their own deadline day passed this week without the arrival of the 31-year-old.
However, according to the Daily Mirror, Al Ittihad will return with a potential bid of £200 million or over to sign Salah - with the timing of the bid dependent on whether Liverpool are challenging for the Premier League title come January.
But if Salah does move on, Chelsea could foil Liverpool's attempts to sign a successor.
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Chelsea could prevent Liverpool from signing Mo Salah successor
According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, Liverpool have been monitoring Sporting Lisbon winger Pedro Goncalves with a view to potentially making a move in January.
Goncalves, who can play out wide or as an attacking midfielder, could be the ideal Salah replacement on the right side of Liverpool's attack.
Arsenal fans will recall the Portugal international as the player that scored an incredible lob from the halfway line in their Europa League last 16 clash last season.
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But he did, in fact, have a previous spell in English football. Goncalves signed for Championship side Wolves in 2017 as a 19-year-old, but was limited to just one appearance in the League Cup before joining Sporting two years later.
Liverpool's efforts to sign him, however, could be foiled by Chelsea and co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
According to The Telegraph, the pair have 'serious plans' to acquire a minority stake in Sporting as part of their multi-club ownership plan. BlueCo, the investment vehicle behind the takeover of Chelsea last year, already has a majority stake in Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
If Boehly and Eghbali's plans are successful, therefore, it could throw a major spanner in the works for the Reds' reported pursuit of Goncalves.
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Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Liverpool, Chelsea, Mohamed Salah, Sporting CP, Sporting Lisbon, Transfers, Saudi Pro League