Liverpool are now preparing an offer for a “dangerous” winger who could be brought in to replace Mohamed Salah, and they are confident the bid would be accepted, according to a report.

Salah’s future hanging in the balance

After the Reds made it seven wins in seven in the Champions League by defeating Lille 2-1 on Tuesday night, Salah once again made it clear he does not know whether he will sign a new deal to remain at Anfield, saying: “I’m not sure about that but I’ll give it my best.”

The forward later admitted he hopes reaching 50 goals in European competitions is not his final milestone as a Liverpool player, saying: “Hopefully not the last [milestone] but I’m very proud of it.

“I wasn’t focused on it before the game. [Lille] have a really good game plan and they were unbeaten for 21 games so they’re a quite tough team. I’m glad we managed to win that game.”

At the moment, it is anyone’s guess whether the 32-year-old extends his stay with Liverpool, meaning Arne Slot must now start considering potential replacements.

Related

Liverpool now keen on “dominant” £80m defender who’s wanted by Real Madrid

The Reds want to bring in a new left-footed defender.

According to reports from Spain, the player most likely to replace Salah at Anfield is Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, having been identified as a suitable target by Slot. Kubo has a release clause of €60m (£51m) in his Real Sociedad contract, but the Reds are trying to negotiate a deal of a different nature.

Slot’s side are now preparing a €50m (£42m) bid for the winger, in a deal that would also include Federico Chiesa, given that the Italian has failed to adapt to life in the Premier League. The Merseyside Club are said to be confident their offer would be accepted by Sociedad.

Kubo impressing in La Liga

The Japanese attacker has been a key player for Sociedad for the past three seasons, most notably picking up nine goals and seven assists in La Liga during the 2022-23 campaign. Scout/Writer Ben Mattinson also praised the attacker for his versatility, goal threat and creativity last season.

At 23-years-old, the Sociedad star is still young and has time to develop, but he is already playing at a very high level, particularly impressing with his dribbling ability over the past year, ranking in the 99th percentile for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.

As such, if the nightmare scenario happens and Salah leaves Liverpool, Kubo could go some way to replacing him, although it is unlikely that any player will be able to immediately come in and record similar numbers to the Egyptian.