With each passing day, the proposition of losing Mohamed Salah on a free transfer comes closer to reality with the Egyptian international not having agreed a contract extension at Liverpool beyond June 2025. His departure would inevitably require a new signing on the right wing and the Reds are already doing their homework ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to Spanish outlet El Nacional (h/t 90min), Liverpool are interested in Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo. The Japanese international, who has played for the youth setups of Barcelona as well as Real Madrid, has been monitored by the club since several months and will be available at a nominal price given his release clause of £61 million.
Though Liverpool can afford to pay that sum and will need to splurge as much to replace Salah, they will look to drive down their expenditure on Kubo by offering Federico Chiesa in a swap deal. The 27-year-old has failed to impress since joining from Juventus last year and could be moved on in the summer if he does not prove himself in the latter part of 2024/25.
Kubo must not be a priority
Make no mistake, Takefusa Kubo is a terrific winger and is among the leading names in La Liga. However, he is more of a creative option and does not have as much of an eye for goal as Mohamed Salah does, which means Liverpool would be significantly short of the output in their final third if the Asian star is the African icon’s chosen replacement at Anfield.
The 23-year-old has scored only five times in the ongoing campaign in all competitions while also producing a measly three assists in 27 appearances. For a player tipped to replace one of the greatest Premier League forwards of the generation, Kubo’s numbers provide for very weak reading and a title challenger like Liverpool must surely seek a better option than him.
