Potential Salah Replacement?
Liverpool could reportedly further bolster their attack by making a move for Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane in upcoming transfer windows.
With Mohamed Salah’s long-term future still not tied down at Anfield, the Reds have apparently started looking at potential replacements.
Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane is one of the favourites to make the move to Merseyside, which would see him return to the Premier League after his Manchester City departure back in 2020.
Speaking to Caught Offside, German journalist Christian Falk claims:
“Liverpool’s interest in Leroy Sane is concrete. You can compare him to the player he might end up replacing at Anfield in Mo Salah; they both have speed and Sane is certainly younger.”
Today we’re going to be looking deeper at whether Leroy Sane would be a smart purchase for the Reds.
Why Leroy Sane?
Although it’s impossible to sign a winger that can match what Mo Salah has achieved at Liverpool, Sane may be near the top of the list of challengers.
With Salah constantly being linked with a huge money move to Saudi Arabia, it would be completely irresponsible of Liverpool to not be looking at possible solutions.
Therefore, there aren’t many better wingers in world football than Leroy Sane at the moment.
The 27-year-old has eight goals and six assists in 11 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern so far this season, striking a brilliant partnership with his teammates in the process.
The winger also has an abundance of international experience, with 59 caps and 13 goals to his name for Germany.
Perhaps even more importantly, Sane has also proven his worth in the Premier League for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
During his time in England, he won two Premier League titles, two league cups and one FA Cup as well as scoring 39 goals and assisting 46 goals in 135 appearances for Manchester City.
Sane’s current contract in Munich is set to expire in June 2025, which may play a huge part in the German champions allowing a potential departure.
Transfermarkt currently value Sane at approximately £75million, but the winger could be available for around £50million in the summer.
However…
Sane turns 28 years old in January, just three years younger than 31-year-old Mohamed Salah.
In my opinion, if the Egyptian King was to leave Liverpool then I believe the club would target someone under 25 years old to hopefully carry on a similar legacy to Salah’s.
I struggle to see Liverpool spending big money on a player that’s going to be in the same position in just a couple of years.
On the pitch, Sane has often struggled for consistency during his time at both Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
This was seemingly one of the main reasons behind his move away from Manchester City back in 2020.
Sane’s injury record is also quite patchy, with the German missing 64 competitive games of football since 2020.
To me, there seems to be a fair amount of risks attached to the potential signing of Sane.
First of all, the hierarchy at Anfield need to be doing everything possible to extend Mo Salah’s stay on Merseyside regardless of his age.
The winger’s world-class ability and consistency makes him priceless in my eyes and I honestly think that the Egyptian wants this outcome, too.
