Paul Merson suggests masterplan to Liverpool to sign Premier League star for £150 million as Mohamed Salah replacement
Paul Merson has urged Liverpool to sell Mohamed Salah and make a move for Bukayo Saka in January. He reckons the Arsenal star is the perfect replacement for the Egyptian and that a £150 million move would be enough to snap him up.
Al Ittihad are pushing to get Salah this summer from Liverpool and tabled a bid on Friday. The Reds swiftly rejected the same, insisting that the forward is not for sale at any cost.
However, Merson reckons there could be a bid from the Saudi Arabian side that could be too good to turn down for Liverpool. He believes the Reds should jump on it and make the sale if the bid is right.
As a replacement for Salah, Merson has suggested that Saka could arrive for £150 million, telling Sky Sports:
"Do they sell him for £200m and then in January see if they can get Saka from Arsenal for 150 (million pounds)? He's the best right winger about after Salah!"
The Reds rejected a £150 million offer from Al Ittihad on Friday, as per The Athletic.
Jamie Carragher urges Liverpool to consider Mohamed Salah sale
Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool to consider selling attacker Mohamed Salah. He reckons the club cannot keep rejecting bids from Al-Ittihad and shoud think of the financial benefit they would get from Salah's sale.
Carragher said on Sky Sports to Gary Neville on Friday:
"When you look at what Harry Kane went for, about £100m, and he is a year or two younger, but he only had a year to go on his deal at Spurs.
"Salah has two years to go. He looks after himself really well. For Liverpool to sell (him) now, they aren't going to want what he is worth. They will want more than that."
The former Reds defender added:
"He wouldn't be worth £150m without the Saudi market, probably closer to £100m. But why have they left it so late?
"If they wanted him so badly, and they were prepared to spend the money, why didn't they do it six months ago when they might have got him?"
Carragher went on to say £200 million should be the price at which his former side should think of selling Salah:
"It is up to L'pool, and it is up to Salah. He may not want to go. I think even for supporters who love him and don't want him to move, if that number keeps going up and up, there is a stage where they can't turn it down, and that would be £200m."
He added:
"I don't think it will (now). It could have been a toss of a coin four to six weeks ago, but it's very late in the window. It would put Liverpool in a position where they couldn't replace him straightaway and may have to wait until January."
The Saudi trasnfer deadline is September 7, as mentioned on the SPL's website. However, FIFA have noted that September 20 is the deadline. Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has already raised concerns about the long gap, with the English transfer window closing on Friday (September 1).