The former player for Liverpool, Mark Lawrenson, has suggested a successor for Mohamed Salah should he depart the team this summer.
The Saudi Pro League has shown interest in Salah after having their £200 million offer for the Egyptian winger rejected on the summer deadline day.
If a transfer is successful, Al Ittihad, who also have Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Salah’s former Liverpool teammate Fabinho in their ranks, seem to be the preferred destination for the 31-year-old.
Nonetheless, according to Bloomberg, the Saudi Pro League will reduce investment this summer to establish a more stable transfer market scenario that takes player sales into account.
Salah, who will enter the last 12 months of his contract this summer, would be too good to pass up, though, as the Saudi top division seeks to bolster its roster with another outstanding marquee player.
Additionally, former Reds centre defender Lawrenson, who with Liverpool won a European Cup and five First Division titles in the 1980s, has suggested a replacement for the Egyptian should he decide to leave Anfield.
Lawrenson believes that Jarrod Bowen of West Ham, who has scored 14 goals in 28 league games this season—his greatest Premier League total in a single season—should be the object of Liverpool’s pursuit. The long-serving former BBC commentator said to Paddy Power:
“He works hard, gets goals, and can play in all three front-line positions. There won’t be another Mo Slah for you. He also puts in a great deal of effort in his defensive efforts. He didn’t do it very well when he first joined, but he’s gotten better.
“Anyone could join, but I think he [Salah] will leave, no doubt about that whatsoever.
“As for who replaces for him, I’m not sure how much money Liverpool will have. They need another centre-back and that might be their first priority – it’s not just a matter of who replaces Salah for me.”