As Mohamed Salah’s contract continues to run down at an alarming rate, Liverpool could yet turn towards the Serie A and one star player who now reportedly favours a move to Anfield.
Liverpool transfer news
Things can’t get much better for Liverpool on the pitch. Arne Slot has enjoyed one of the best starts in the club’s history and is already breaking records, having won 11 of his first 12 games in charge. The Reds have looked relatively untouchable unless Nottingham Forest are in town, which continued against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, as Darwin Nunez’s goal sealed all three points.
Away from the pitch, however, problems remain. Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are all on course to leave as free agents at the end of the season as Liverpool head towards what would be the ultimate disaster. And although the best-case scenario is that all three sign fresh deals at the club, those at Anfield must prepare for the worst, which could see one Serie A star arrive.
According to reports in Spain, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia now favours a move to Liverpool if he decides to leave Napoli after contract talks with the Italian club reportedly reached a standstill, eyeing up the possibility to step into Salah’s shoes. The ‘Egyptian King’ of course followed a similar career path, launching his career on Merseyside after an impressive spell in Serie A.
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With his current deal not set to expire until 2027, the winger certainly has time to make his decision but if the Reds come calling in their search to replace Salah, the Georgian may well join international teammate Giorgi Mamardashvili at Anfield in 2025.
By completing such a move, Kvaratskhelia will get a hefty pay rise that is yet to come his way at Napoli, where he earns a reported £24,000-a-week.
"Cheeky" Kvaratskhelia could replace Salah
Of course, it’s not so long ago that Kvaratskhelia was causing Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold all sorts of nightmares as Napoli defeated Liverpool 4-1 in 2022, and now he can take that earlier audition and potentially replace Salah at Anfield.
The Georgia star earned the praise of former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp during that campaign, with the Liverpool legend telling reporters via This Is Anfield after his battle against Alexander-Arnold: “I know people will talk about one or two situations when Trent tried to be in front of him and the ball goes through.
“But he is really good, the boy, and really quick and you have to defend him together in these moments. When he has the advantage of the first movement, then he is already gone.
“You have to try to be there in the moment when the ball arrives, but if you cannot do that then you need to be protected because he has speed, he is cheeky, he goes inside, he can go outside, that makes it always really difficult.”
The Napoli man has certainly got off to a eye-catching start under new boss Antonio Conte too, scoring four goals and assisting another two in eight Serie A games to leave his stock higher than it’s been since 2022.