Liverpool are reportedly considering a move for PSV Eindhoven attacker Johan Bakayoko if Mohamed Salah leaves the club in the near future.
Salah appeared to end speculation surrounding his future by penning a new Anfield deal until 2025 last year, but links with a move elsewhere have begun to resurface.
Paris Saint-Germain were believed to be weighing up an approach for the Egyptian earlier this summer, but the French champions have signed Marco Asensio and Ousmane Dembele instead.
With PSG out of the picture, Saudi Arabia is now considered the only realistic destination for Salah if he calls time on his Liverpool career, and Saudi Pro League marketing chief Hafez Al-Medlej has confirmed that teams in the region are interested in the 31-year-old.
Salah is alleged to have given the green light to an approach, and while his agent has rubbished talk of an exit, there is hope in the region that the winger will be a Saudi Pro League player within the next couple of years.
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Even without the ex-Chelsea man, Liverpool are well-stocked up front with Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, while Ben Doak has also shown signs of promise over the past few months.
However, Football Insider claims that PSV and Belgium starlet Bakayoko is being eyed as a possible successor to Salah, although PSG and Napoli have also been left impressed with his development.
Bakayoko represented Anderlecht and Club Brugge at youth level before joining PSV's setup in 2019, and the 20-year-old has now made 41 appearances for the first team, scoring seven goals and setting up seven more.
The 2022-23 season saw Bakayoko become an integral player for PSV under Ruud van Nistelrooy, contributing seven goals and five assists from 33 games, predominantly from a right-wing position.
The 2003-born attacker has helped PSV win two KNVB Beker crowns and two Dutch Super Cups, while he recently set up two goals in a 4-1 Champions League third-round qualifying win over Sturm Graz.
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A four-cap Belgium international, Bakayoko was handed his Red Devils debut by Domenico Tedesco back in March - registering an assist in his first game against Sweden - before netting his maiden senior international goal in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Estonia in June.
Liverpool may have to pay a premium to sign Bakayoko, though, as he only extended his contract with PSV six months ago, and those terms do not expire until the summer of 2026.
With Salah still on the books at Anfield, though, Liverpool are not prioritising attacking reinforcements at this moment in time and are instead working to close a deal for Stuttgart midfielder Wataru Endo.
The 30-year-old Japan international is expected to undergo his medical on Thursday and will join the Reds for a reported €19m (£16.2m) fee, following Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister to Anfield.
Liverpool swooped for Endo after Chelsea successfully hijacked their moves for Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo, who both opted to join the Blues over Jurgen Klopp's side.
Ben Knapton
