I know who Liverpool should sign to replace Mohamed Salah but there's a huge catch

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes only Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr is in a position to replace Mohamed Salah at Anfield once he decides to leave the club, but admits it's a long shot. The Egyptian's current contract with the Reds is due to expire at the end of this season - and there's no firm clarity on the situation just yet.

On the proviso Salah still hasn't signed an extension by January, he will be free to negotiate with clubs overseas regarding a pre-contract agreement. The 32-year-old - who's said to want to stay - did nothing to dampen nerves surrounding his future following his match-winning goal against Brighton.

He posted on X (was Twitter): "Top of the table is where this club belongs. Nothing less.

READ MORE: Alan Shearer makes telling Mohamed Salah Liverpool transfer claim as Saudi Arabia 'hatch' plan

READ MORE: Mohamed Salah shows true colours with Liverpool duo after stunning Bayer Leverkusen demolition

"All teams win matches, but there's only one champion in the end. That's what we want.

"Thank you for your support. No matter what happens, I will never forget what scoring at Anfield feels like."

Some supporters feared this might have been a goodbye message from Salah, or a hint that contract talks were heading in one direction. As such, the discussion on who should replace the winger has restarted.

Adding his view on the matter, Murphy told Boyle Sports, who offer the latest Champions League odds, that only Real Madrid's star forward could replace the Liverpool icon. "On potential Mohamed Salah replacements, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a really good player, similar to Luis Diaz or Cody Gakpo in running with the ball with his athleticism and his ability to make things happen, but he's not prolific," the Match of the Day pundit explained.

"He's not a goal threat for entire games. I've seen him play live a couple of times, I was at the Euros, I've watched him a lot.

"He's a terrific talent, but he's similar to what Liverpool have got in some respects. Liverpool have bought Federico Chiesa, so we'll see how he evolves and develops you know, he's got few injuries but we've all seen him at his best; electric, dynamic.

"To replace Salah, the type of player you'd want is a ready-made replacement, who you know is going to produce the same goods, if Vinicius Jr isn't happy at Real Madrid and doesn't want to sign a new deal then Liverpool should break the bank to get him, because you know he'll produce the goods.

"He's one of the best players in the world. But that's unlikely.

"So you have to try and find these diamonds in the rough. You have to remember when Salah came, there were a few question marks.

"When Sadio Mane first came, people questioned if Liverpool had overpaid Southampton, and look what he went on to do. So it might be a case of Liverpool going and finding another one of these diamonds in the rough that can evolve into a goal-scoring right winger.

"But it's very hard to find wide players who have better goal-scoring records than one-in-three. Salah has the goal-scoring record of a striker, of a proper striker.

"It's incredible numbers that he produces. Replacing that's either, it's going to be a brilliant recruitment or it's going to break the bank, one or the other.

"Let's just hope Vinicius Jr falls out with Real Madrid, and fancies joining Liverpool." So far this term, Vinicius Jr has nine goals and seven assists from 16 games - while Salah has nine goals and nine assists from 16 matches.

Join our WhatsApp community, sign up to a newsletter or listen to our podcasts HERE