Liverpool cult hero Jose Enrique has tipped Mohamed Salah to leave Merseyside and suggested three wildcard options as his replacement.
Salah, who has achieved legendary status at Anfield since his 2017 arrival, has been linked with a move to the burgeoning Saudi Pro League over the past year.
The Egyptian, who was the subject of a £150million verbal offer from Al Ittihad last summer, is into the final 18 months of his contract on Merseyside.
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And while he has scored 209 goals since his move to Anfield from Roma, including 23 strikes this term, Liverpool may opt to cash in on the 31-year-old this summer rather than risk losing him for free the following year.
Indeed, with manager Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, ex-Reds full-back Enrique claimed that now may be the best time for Salah to also depart.
Enrique, who spent five years at Liverpool from 2011, told Grosvenor Sport: “If the right offer comes then I think Salah will leave because I think he was actually trying to leave last summer. They were offered something like £200million for him last summer and that was a real offer.
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“When you get an offer like that, usually it means there is already an agreement between the player and the club. I think Salah had already agreed to go and I believe that he will finally go to Saudi Arabia this summer.”
He continued: “Jurgen Klopp is leaving so it is the perfect time for Salah to go.
“There is a new cycle happening at Liverpool and lots of changes, so it is perfect for him. This will likely be the final big contract of his career, so I think he’ll leave for Saudi Arabia.”
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Enrique also suggested three alternatives to the Salah, should the Egyptian depart - Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane.
The Spaniard said: “Mohammed Kudus is someone that I think could be a replacement for Salah. Even last summer I would have said that and now of course he is playing really well for West Ham.
“You could also throw in someone like Ebere Eze from Crystal Palace, but there aren’t really any obvious replacements out there.
“Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich is a possibility because he is in a bit of a situation with his contract there at the moment. He is the kind of name that they need to bring in and he could be an option.”
Topics: Liverpool, Mohamed Salah, Saudi Pro League, Jurgen Klopp, Fan Reactions