Salah succession plan takes shape as interest in UNCONTROLLABLE £85m star confirmed

Mohamed Salah is safely secured under contract at Liverpool for another two seasons. Reds fans can breathe a little more easily now that the Egyptian King’s future is wrapped up until 2027.

There is less panic over the need to replace the 32-year-old in the short term but that doesn’t mean sporting director Richard Hughes is standing still.

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Liverpool could still opt to add another player to the ranks this summer, allowing a potential Salah successor to learn from the master for the next couple of seasons.

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And one name who’s come back on the radar in the last few weeks is Mohammed Kudus.

Liverpool back in for Kudus

The 24-year-old Ghana international has had a difficult season at West Ham, scoring only three times in the league and adding two assists, and has been earmarked for a sale this summer as the London side plot an overhaul of their own.

Nonetheless, Kudus made a big impression on Arne Slot and the Liverpool players during a recent Premier League game versus the Hammers.

“Kudus was almost uncontrollable,” the Reds’ head coach said after the game. And Liverpool reporter Dominic King wrote on X that Kudus had been a favourite among the Liverpool squad for years.

“He’s been making a big impression on Liverpool’s squad for a long, long time,” he wrote. “The dressing room was raving about his quality after Ajax played at Anfield in September 2022 and he scored.”

Now it’s been claimed by Caught Offside that the former Ajax forward is again being looked at by the Reds, Arsenal and Chelsea ahead of a potential summer bid.

Kudus can learn from Salah

“Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly keen on signing the West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus at the end of the season and they are monitoring his situation,” a report reads.

“West Ham will look to sell the player in the summer in order to raise funds for their own signings.

“Liverpool are looking to add more depth through the attacking unit, and they view him as a quality option.”

Much has been made of a release clause in Kudus’ contract. It stood at £85 million for interested Premier League clubs last summer.

However, that kind of figure is not likely to be achievable considering the player’s poor output this season. It means Liverpool could potentially have a bargain on their hands and Slot - known to like the player - could be the man to get him firing again.

A versatile attacker who can play up top, in behind a front man or on the wing, Kudus is possessed of the quality to feature in many different positions.

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He could therefore fill in the gaps for the Reds over the next couple of seasons before taking up a position on the right wing when Salah departs. If the price is right then this could be a deal worth pursuing.