- Mo Salah is in the last six months of his deal and is free to talk to foreign clubs
- Salah would be hard to replace but Michael Owen thinks he knows just the man
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Are Everton where they deserve to be or are the club’s fans delusional?
Michael Owen has identified who Liverpool should sign as Mo Salah’s replacement should the Egypt star leave Anfield this summer.
Salah is in the last six months of his contract and has been free to talk to foreign clubs since the start of this month.
The saga has not impeded the 32-year-old’s form as he has registered 21 goals and 17 assists so far this season to fire Liverpool to the top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables.
Should Liverpool allow their all-time Premier League top-scorer to leave in the summer, any replacement would find themselves with huge shoes to fill.
But Owen, who scored 118 Premier League goals for the club himself, believes he has has found a man capable of the task.
Antoine Semenyo has been in fine form for Bournemouth this season, scoring seven goals including a strike against Chelsea on Tuesday night which caught Owen’s eye.
Antoine Semenyo scores his seventh goal of the season against Chelsea on Tuesday night
Michael Owen believes Semenyo has what it takes to step into Mo Salah’s shoes at Anfield
Mo Salah is in the last six months of his contract and is free to talk to foreign clubs
‘He is a brilliant player,” Owen told Premier League Productions.
‘He scores goals – and we don’t know if Mohamed Salah will stay or leave but, if he leaves, Semenyo should be his replacement.’
Owen’s comments do not come out of the blue with the Ghana striker having been linked with a move to Anfield earlier in the week.
The Northern Echo reported that Liverpool Ben Doak – currently on loan at Middlesbrough – could be used as part of a package to bring Semenyo to Anfield, with Bournemouth said to admire the 19-year-old.
Semenyo joined Bournemouth in January 2023 for £10.25million from Bristol City and has since scored 16 goals for the Cherries.
Liverpool’s search for a forward has widened with their long-term target, Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush, on the brink of joining rivals Manchester City in a £67million deal.
Of more immediate concern to manager Arne Slot will be turning around a mini slump which has seen his side win just one game out of their last four, including Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Next up for Liverpool is a tricky trip to Brentford on Saturday before their attention turns to the Champions League in which they host Lille on Tuesday night.
