Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia during the summer transfer window.
The reds have been urged to consider a move for Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should Mohamed Salah leave the club next summer.
The Reds were able to keep hold of Salah during the most recent transfer window despite attempts from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad to lure the 31-year-old to the Middle East.
It remains to be seen what will happen should the Saudi Pro League club or others return with a big-money offer for the Egyptian at the end of the season, as is expected to be the case, though Liverpool will likely have a contingency plan in place.
Replacing Salah will prove to be a difficult but not impossible task for the Reds’ recruitment team, who have adapted to the departures of other key players in recent times such as Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho.
Many have been mentioned as players who could potentially fill the void Salah would create at Anfield, from Jarrod Bowen to Vinicius Junior.
But asked for his view on who Liverpool must consider as a like-for-like replacement if they cash in on their prized asset, ex-Reds defender Stephen Warnock told talkSPORT: “The one player that springs to mind is Kvaratskhelia from Napoli.
“He is the one player you look at and think, young, potential, can play, but he is a left-sided player. Could he play on that right-hand side?”
Liverpool learned first-hand just how dangerous the Georgian winger can be after going head-to-head with Napoli during the group stages of the Champions League last season.
The 22-year-old caused Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold all kinds of panic with his pace and dribbling ability, particularly during the meeting between the sides in Italy which Napoli won 4-1.
Kvaratskhelia is under contract with his current employers until the summer of 2027, having signed in 2022, and would likely command a fee in excess of €100million.
Discussing the possibility of his client moving on this time last year, the player’s agent told Fabrizio Romano’s YouTube channel:
“You know what’s crazy, he’s done what he’s been doing in Russia and Europe for the past couple of years. He’s come to Napoli, he’s been brilliant, and people are talking about €100m.
“For me, if he continues to perform like this until the end of the season and next season, because there’s a 0% chance they sell him [last January]. He will reach €100m for sure.”
