Liverpool legend tells Reds who to sign as Mo Salah's replacement
Salah has less than 18 months to run on his Liverpool deal and was the subject of interest from Saudi Arabia last summer
Liverpool icon John Barnes believes Wolves forward Pedro Neto could be the heir to Mo Salah at Anfield.
Salah is out of contract at the end of next season, and his Reds future remains uncertain – following intense interest from the Saudi Pro League last summer.
In any case, the Egyptian will be 32 come the start of the 2024/25 campaign, and it would be naive to think that Liverpool have not already got some sort of succession plan in place.
Is Neto the answer? Barnes is clearly a big fan of the 23-year-old Portugal international. He told MyBettingSites: "I've always liked Pedro Neto – always liked him. If you're looking for a profile of a winger that would suit Liverpool down to the ground, that winger is Pedro Neto.
"He would suit Liverpool more than any other club. He's direct; he's quick. He's a bit like Mo Salah, where he's direct and always plays well.
"He's had his injury issues which have held him back, but you can see that he can play for any of the top clubs."
Neto joined Wolves from Braga in 2019 and has gone on to make 129 appearances for the West Midlands club.
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He's been one of the standout performers for Gary O'Neil's side this term, providing eight Premier League assists (only Kieran Trippier and Ollie Watkins have provided more) in addition to scoring two goals himself.
Transfermarkt currently values Neto at €42m (£35.8m), but Wolves are thought to want at least £60m for a player so integral to their cause.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...