He's like Diaz: Liverpool could repeat Salah blinder with £54m "magician"

Liverpool have been exceptional this season but Arne Slot will know that football is a fickle thing, and fortunes can change in a flash.

To be sure, the Reds haven't been in the best of form recently, ceding ground in successive Premier League matches against Newcastle United and Fulham. This dip was compounded by the cancellation of the Merseyside Derby due to adverse weather conditions.

Of course, the flip side of this is that Liverpool are two points clear of second-placed Chelsea with a game in hand and six points above Arsenal. The midweek victory over Southampton has set up a Carabao Cup semi-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur while six wins from six have put the Reds firmly in the driving seat of the Champions League group phase.

Things are going very well indeed, but away from Anfield's green grass, fans are starting to get rather concerned about a certain non-playing situation that the club has been embroiled in throughout the span of Slot's tenure.

In less than two weeks, Mohamed Salah can discuss the terms of a free transfer with suitors from abroad.

Mohamed Salah's contract situation

Skipper Virgil van Dijk and his deputy Trent Alexander-Arnold are in the same boat as Salah, with uncertainty ruling supreme across all three thirds.

Alexander-Arnold is being courted by Real Madrid, but Salah and Van Dijk appear closer to penning extensions, with The Athletic's all-knowing David Ornstein revealing earlier this month that the older players had been offered new deals.

Let's focus on Salah. The experienced winger may turn 33 after the 2024/25 campaign but there's no evidence to suggest he's going to fall from his position as one of the world's elite strikers, with one of the most prolific returns across Europe's major league this term.

Most Goals + Assists - Europe's Top Five Leagues (24/25) Rank Player Goals Assists G/A 1. Mohamed Salah 13 9 22 2. Harry Kane 14 7 21 2= Omar Marmoush 13 8 21 4. Raphinha 11 8 19 5. Robert Lewandowski 16 2 18 Stats via Transfermarkt

If Slot's Liverpool do succeed in their ambitious quest for silver this year, they will owe everything to their Egyptian king. Keeping him on Merseyside is a must, but Liverpool need to prudently search for new wide players anyway and have an unlikely name lined up.

FSG could make Salah repeat

Last month, the Daily Briefing revealed that Liverpool are in the mix to sign AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, ready to tussle with Arsenal and Manchester United for the USMNT international.

Pulisic's exploits in Serie A have seen his stock rise once again, and it's believed that Milan would be looking for an eyebrow-raising €65m (£54m) deposit for his sale.

It didn't quite happen at Chelsea for the American captain, but there's little question that he has the talent to succeed within a thriving frontline such as Liverpool's.

Why Christian Pulisic could be a smart signing

Once described as a "magician" of a player by writer Al Butler, Pulisic has had an up-and-down career, with that fact epitomised through his years spent in west London with Chelsea.

His combination of footwork, power and pace makes him a stern adversary for any top-class defender across the continent and having turned 26 a few months ago, he's entering the prime of his career.

Indeed, he scored 15 goals for AC Milan last season, in his first year since signing from Chelsea for a shrewd £20m fee, and has taken his football to the next level this year, posting eight goals (one of which was against Liverpool in the Champions League) and six assists across just 20 appearances, 17 starts.

Though his influence diminished season-on-season at Stamford Bridge, Pulisic still succeeded in showcasing his capacity on English shores, and could now return as a polished and refined player.

Christian Pulisic at Chelsea Season Apps (starts) Goals Assists G/A Rate 2022/23 30 (10) 1 2 0.10 2021/22 38 (21) 8 5 0.34 2020/21 43 (25) 6 4 0.23 2019/20 34 (27) 11 8 0.55 Stats via Transfermarkt

Pulisic's resurgence has seen him rise to rank among the top 14% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored (0.42) per 90, as per FBref.

His clinical edge, coupled with his athletic skill, has led the stats-based site to liken him to Luis Diaz, which is perhaps especially interesting to those of a Liverpool persuasion given that Diaz, nearly 28, is facing uncertainty around his future due to contractual hesitation from FSG, with claims from South America speaking of 'disagreements' between the respective parties.

Diaz hasn't scored in the Premier League since September but he's an electric player, one of the finest left wingers in the country. The fact that Pulisic could mimic his style within Slot's squad only bodes well for his potential success.

In fact, let's forget altogether the Milano ace's previous struggles on English shores, for like Salah, he is a Chelsea reject who jumped ship to Italy in order to develop and enhance the qualities that were always at his core.

Salah, indeed, scored twice for Chelsea across 19 appearances before moving to Serie A, but has of course been one of the best players in the world ever since signing for Liverpool in a £34m package in 2017, aged 25.

It goes to show that development in football isn't linear and that Pulisic, a one-time wonderkid, can still reach that high ground that was said to have his name on it.

His physicality has been honed, and so too has his eye for goal. Now it's up to Liverpool to weigh up the feasibility of a move and strike.

Given that certain Premier League rivals want a piece, Slot might be wise to nudge FSG toward granting a transfer move in 2025, especially if Diaz leaves.

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He plays like the Colombian menace, and since he's following a similar trajectory to that of Salah, would it really not be worth a punt?

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