Liverpool's Search for Mohamed Salah Successor: Savinho and Barcola
Liverpool’s search for a Mohamed Salah successor is starting to feel like a saga without an obvious ending. The profile is clear. The market, less so.
Bradley Barcola remains a headline name on the shortlist, the Paris Saint-Germain forward repeatedly linked and reportedly valued at around £145m. That figure hangs over any negotiation like a warning sign. If Liverpool’s new sporting director Richard Hughes refuses to go that high for a player who wants out of Paris, the club will have to look elsewhere.
And that “elsewhere” might be Manchester.
Salah’s shadow over the right flank
Salah’s departure at the end of June, a year before his £400,000-per-week deal expired, has left more than just a gap on the teamsheet. For years Liverpool were built around that left-footed, right-wing threat: cutting inside, stretching defences, scoring and creating at elite levels.
That’s the template. And that’s part of the problem with Barcola.
The France international is right-footed and often looks more dangerous from the left than the right. He can operate on either flank and would bring high-quality depth across the front line, but he does not naturally mirror Salah’s angle of attack. For Andoni Iraola, who inherits a squad used to that specific weapon on the right, the stylistic fit matters.
So the search continues for someone who can step into that channel and feel familiar, even if they can never truly replace Salah.
Enter Savinho
One name does tick more of those boxes: Savinho.
The 22-year-old Brazilian, on Manchester City’s books and previously on loan at Girona, has told the Premier League champions he wants to leave this summer in pursuit of regular football. His situation has been laid bare by Fabrizio Romano, who reported that Savinho has formally informed City of his desire to move on.
“Savinho informs Manchester City about his desire to leave this summer,” Romano wrote on X, adding that the winger wants to play more and develop his career, with the decision now sitting with City.
Savinho, a left-footed wide forward who has operated off the right, naturally invites comparison with Salah’s role far more than Barcola does. For Liverpool, that matters. For supporters, the idea of turning to a player marginalised under Pep Guardiola might raise eyebrows, but the raw ingredients are there if the right coach can unlock them.
Tottenham push, Liverpool watch
Liverpool are not alone in admiring Savinho. Tottenham Hotspur are firmly in the race and, according to Romano, have the Brazilian “on top of their list” going back to May.
TEAMtalk report that Roberto De Zerbi’s side want a swift resolution. Spurs have, according to that report, given City until the weekend to get a deal done. If not, they are prepared to pivot to other targets, with Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo among those mentioned as being of interest in North London.
Savinho is valued at around £60m and is under contract with Enzo Maresca’s side until 2031, a long-term deal that gives City control but also sets a clear financial bar for any suitor.
For now, Tottenham are pushing hardest. City hold the cards. And Liverpool wait.
If Spurs close the deal quickly, Liverpool will have to keep hunting for their new right-sided spearhead. If talks stall, the door swings open for Hughes to move. In a summer defined by the need to replace an era, the decision on whether to pounce for Savinho could say a lot about what Liverpool want their next great attack to look like.
