Liverpool's perfect Mohamed Salah replacement is obvious as Anfield legend prepares to leave

Liverpool fans were met on Tuesday with gut-wrenching news which they must have known was coming, but that will not make it hurt any less.

After nine glorious years with the Reds, Mohamed Salah will depart Anfield at the end of the season with his legacy as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats solidified. The ‘Egyptian King’ has made an impact on English football which will be spoken about for generations to come, and his ground-breaking list of records and goalscoring statistics will no doubt stand the test of time, too.

But with Liverpool – and no doubt the Premier League too – set to wave goodbye to Salah in just two months’ time, the unenviable task of replacing the 33-year-old will be getting underway at Anfield. Naturally, several names have been suggested but few even come close to living up to the task of taking the mantle from Salah. But one man stands out from the crowd as the player the Reds should target this summer.

Liverpool faced with impossible task of replacing Salah - but Bundesliga gem could be the answer

The obvious truth is that replacing Salah with a player capable of instantly replicating his output is nigh-on impossible. The only right-winger in the world right now who is even close to those levels is Michael Olise – and with Bayern Munich firmly insisting the Frenchman is not for sale and slapping a reported €200million (£173m) price tag on his head, we’re not even going to condone him as an attainable option for Liverpool this summer.

The best option the Reds have is to sign a player with the kind of limitless potential which suggests he could grow into a superstar in the long-term. The number one target should be clear – RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande.

The 19-year-old Ivorian has world-class potential and has already delivered impressive numbers in his short career so far, registering 10 goals and seven assists in 26 Bundesliga matches in his very first season at Leipzig. Having made his top-tier debut for Leganés less than 12 months ago on 29 March of last year, his meteoric rise has been astounding and saw mega-money Premier League links before Christmas.

His form in recent weeks has shown no signs of letting up and saw his market value rise to €75m (£65m) as per Transfermarkt – it was just €600k in May 2025. It is no wonder that the biggest clubs in the Premier League and beyond are thought to be queueing up for his signature, as his next club could have a real superstar in their midst.

Diomande could cost £87m and complete Anfield wonderkid double-act

Diomande could set Liverpool back as much as €100m (£87m) according to reports, which is a substantial amount, but ultimately pales in comparison with the record-breaking totals the Reds spent on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak last summer.

How, though, would Liverpool go about handing Salah’s reigns to a teenage winger without placing a level of pressure on his shoulders which could cause him to crumble? By sharing the burden between two teenage wingers, of course.

Rio Ngumoha is just 17 and while he has not yet posted the goalscoring numbers of Diomande, his impressive cameos have done enough to convince Liverpool fans that they have a serious talent on their hands. The England youth international will turn 18 in August and could conceivably play a bigger role for the Reds next term.

Both Diomande and Ngumoha are capable of playing on both sides and could grow to become a devastating wing duo at Anfield if given the right circumstances to blossom. Not to forget, the Reds also have Alexander Isak to come back from injury and the likes of Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike also capable of doing a job from out wide.

There may not be one single player who can replace the impact of Salah right away. But if Liverpool are to truly move on to a new era at Anfield, signing Diomande this summer might just prove to be the catalyst to a fresh generation of domination.