Liverpool have revealed a new reason to avoid risking a $43m transfer in their search for Salah’s successor

Liverpool have revealed a new reason to avoid risking a $43m transfer in their search for Salah’s successor

Liverpool must quickly find a successor to Mohamed Salah, but a name that has featured prominently in recent months must be avoided at all costs. Federico Chiesa withdrew from the Italian national team after being injured in training
Federico Chiesa withdrew from the Italian national team after being injured in training
Mohamed Salah’s future has been the biggest talking point this week and will no doubt soon affect Liverpool’s transfer priorities.
The Reds managed to fend off interest from Saudi Arabia to retain their prized possession despite a $187 million bid from Al Ittihad. No-one is naive enough to believe interest in Salah will die and Jurgen Klopp will surely have to find a successor in the next 12 months.
Considering Salah’s contribution to Liverpool over the years, it is an almost impossible task and there is no name that jumps out as the heir apparent at the moment. Oddly enough, during the transfer talk of the summer, one name kept coming up, even before the possibility of Salah leaving came up. Federico Chiesa has seen his name constantly linked with a move to Anfield. At one point, Italy’s Corriere dello Sport (via Paisley Gates) suggested the player’s agents had traveled to England to negotiate a $43m (£34m/€40m) deal with the Reds.
The recurring nature of these rumors may be enough for some to expect Chiesa to follow Salah if/when the Egyptian moves to Saudi Arabia. However, Liverpool were recently reminded why this should not be the case. Chiesa was forced to miss Italy’s Euro qualifiers against North Macedonia and Ukraine after picking up an injury in training (according to Football Italy). For anyone who has followed Chiesa’s career, this will come as no surprise. Since joining Juventus in 2020, the 25-year-old has missed a total of 80 games for club and country (according to Transfermarkt). That’s an injury record that should be enough for Liverpool to consider a move.
The Reds have had enough injury problems in recent years. That frustration undoubtedly contributed to the departures of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta this summer, and would have contributed to the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai at a club with a pretty good injury record. Finding a replacement for Salah will be a difficult task, but Liverpool cannot afford to affect Chiesa’s potential availability regardless of the price. It’s just too long a risk.