Liverpool transfer news as Mohamed Salah is linked with a transfer exit this summer. The Reds have also reportedly scouted a Porto midfielder this weekend.
Liverpool has no time to dwell upon the two points it dropped against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Reds have rarely dominated a match so much in expected goal terms and not won, but focus must now shift towards the Europa League quarter-finals.
Atalanta will be at Anfield on Thursday evening for the first leg match. It won its only previous visit 2-0 in the Champions League group stage in 2020. However, that match was played behind-closed-doors so the atmosphere which greets them will obviously be far more influential in Liverpool’s favor this time around.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side has also only won once in their last seven away games in all competitions. While the victory came at Napoli, the defending Serie A champions are in nothing like the form which they were last season. The Reds can be confident of earning a positive result ahead of the return match in Italy next week.
Despite the 2023/24 season reaching the business end with the destination of multiple trophies to be decided, there are as usual countless stories regarding players who could be on the move this summer.
Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today, including news on Mohamed Salah’s future and a possible Reds target being scouted in Portugal over the weekend.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
While his goal at Old Trafford came from the penalty spot, Salah has four goals and three assists in five starts since returning from injury. Normal service has very quickly been resumed.
The same is true regarding stories linking him with moves elsewhere. Salah will soon be entering the final year of his contract and The Express has reported a story from HITC which claims Saudi Pro League clubs will be looking to sign the 31-year-old.
There’s nothing new in that but it has now been claimed that Michael Edwards is ‘ready to sell Mohamed Salah’. It is claimed that Saudi sides are ‘confident’ that a deal can be struck for Salah this summer, and may be encouraged by Edwards’ stance on the matter.
It is also claimed that Edwards and Liverpool are willing to agree to let Salah go, if the Egyptian shows any indication that he would like to move on. That does seem unlikely at this stage given his recent performances.
Liverpool.com says: While it’s conceivable that a big money offer comes from Saudi Arabia for Salah in the transfer window, there are a lots of its and buts here. For starters, Richard Hughes will be the sporting director, so while Edwards will likely have input, it won’t be solely his decision. There has also been no obvious indication from the player that he is looking to leave either. Rumors of Salah’s exit will always do the rounds but this latest story doesn’t feel like it changes the situation at all.
Alan Varela (Porto)
Liverpool reportedly had scouts watching players in Portugal this weekend, at least according to Record (via Sport Witness). While it has not been clear who they were checking out, it has been “made clear” that the Reds “had a representative” at Porto’s match with Vitória Guimarães. The club was already being linked with Porto’s Argentine midfielder Alan Varela, so he has been assumed to be the player of interest.
The 22-year-old is in his first season in the Primeira Liga having previously represented Boca Juniors in his homeland. Varela has scored two goals and assisted three in his 32 appearances in all competitions in 2023/24, though he has mostly played as a defensive midfielder.
Liverpool.com says: Although Wataru Endō has outdone expectation, it feels plausible that Liverpool may remain in the market for a long term solution at the base of it’s midfield. However, while Varela fits the age profile that the Reds might target, the four years remaining on his contract immediately make a move to Anfield feel far less likely. He could be one to watch in the longer term though.
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