Liverpool are holding talks to sign a £160m replacement for Salah

Liverpool haven’t been riding the wave this season, but FSG will keep faith in Arne Slot and the title-winning potential of his Redmen side.

However, we have a lot to do to reach the Champions League. Liverpool are currently fifth in the Premier League, tied with Chelsea (sixth), with Aston Villa and Manchester United ahead of them. The consequences of missing out will be severe, limiting Mohamed Salah’s succession plan.

Salah, 33, will bring the curtain down on his incredible Anfield career this summer, having fallen from his unrivaled mid-season form.

Replacing him won’t be easy, but sporting director Richard Hughes and co will have to give it their best shot.

Liverpool are already planning to find a replacement for Salah

Liverpool have been below par this season, and while Slot’s future as head coach is uncertain, we know for sure that Salah is moving on, and a replacement is needed.

Michael Olise appears to be a target for the Merseyside outfit, but Bayern Munich are unlikely to let him leave this summer, so FSG have had to settle for other options such as RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande.

Diomande, 19, is one of the brightest young attackers in the world, but for £87m, any deal would be risky.

But for Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Liverpool could sign Salah’s replacement, someone who will emerge as the front man in the Slot team.

According to TEAMtalk, the 25-year-old has already been the subject of discussions between FSG and consultants, although PSG are fiercely protective of their top players and have no intention of selling. Of course, such situations are made all the time in football, and a lot can change when the market opens.

Kvaratskhelia will not come cheap. The Georgian is valued at £160m by his French employers, so bringing him to Merseyside this summer would require a British record fee that surpasses Alexander Isak’s £125m fee last year.

Why Liverpool want to sign Kvaratskhelia

Interestingly, Kvaratskhelia prefers to play on the left side. Since joining PSG from Napoli in January 2025, he has been used up front, but his versatility could allow him to emerge as a player in Liverpool’s new wing without emulating Salah’s departure from the right wing, an impossible task.

In 69 games for Paris, Kvaratskhelia has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists. These aren’t Salah’s numbers, but the Georgian is fun to watch and a ferocious threat. In fact, Liverpool’s perception of wingers has been skewed by Salah’s relentless brilliance in the final third, and Kvaratskhelia will bring a different kind of threat, and that’s a good thing.

You could even say that he would be the perfect signing on the Slot side, surpassing the impact that Diomande will make over the next few years. It is foolish to expect the young and inexperienced Ivory Coast star to make a world-class mark on the field, while ‘Kvara’ is already a “world star”, as journalist Graeme Bailey put it.

His performances in France this season have left much to be desired, but with such high-quality efforts in the Champions League, Kvaratskhelia has underlined his status as one of the best players in the world.

Diomande has the natural talent to be one of Europe’s best players, but he is still young, growing out of his professional skin. At such a large price, this could be a risky move for the Reds – after all, just look at Florian Wirtz, who has struggled to produce world-class performances in the slot.

Signing Diomande wouldn’t be a bad move for FSG, but if a deal for Kvaratskhelia can be done, that’s Liverpool to take.

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