Liverpool have plenty of squad gaps on the horizon this summer if they don’t tie up their contract business soon.
All of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are set to depart at the end of this season for free if they don’t agree fresh terms.
Given that, the Reds – who take on Lille tonight as Champions League action returns – will be rapidly drawing up contingency plans, which might explain why they’re ramping up interest in a promising Eredivisie winger.
Liverpool leading the race for Feyenoord winger Anis Hadj Moussa
Liverpool are the frontrunners to land promising Algeria international Anis Hadj Moussa, according to a report from Africafoot.
The 22-year-old only signed for Feyenoord last summer – after the departure of current Reds boss Arne Slot – from Belgian second-tier side Patro Eisden, but the report says he is already attracting the attention of a number of top European clubs, with Liverpool currently in the driving seat.
It won’t escape notice on Merseyside that Hadj Moussa plays in the same position as soon-to-be out-of-contract Salah, potentially suggesting the direction of travel in those negotiations.
However, speaking to FourFourTwo on January 13, journalist and transfer expert Ben Jacobs revealed there is a world where the two co-exist at Anfield. He said: “In an ideal world, Liverpool renew Van Dijk and Salah, while simultaneously in 2025 looking to replace them. It means that the player may extend and have between one and three years at the club, whilst their younger replacement acclimatises, and then it makes the transition much more seamless.
“This is why there's such a desire to extend Salah and Van Dijk: not just because they're phenomenal players for now, but it gives a bit of breathing room and development space for whoever they bring in in those positions, so they don't necessarily have the pressure of having to start every game and give the same kind of output as Van Dijk and Salah from Day One.”
Hadj Moussa has six goals and two assists in 22 appearances in all competitions for Feyenoord this season. Africafoot’s report states he’d be available for a fee of around €12million, which Liverpool 'plan to finalise' in the summer – subject to increase if he finishes the season strongly.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, as a direct replacement for Salah, this might underwhelm fans at Anfield.
But, as Jacobs told us, the ideal scenario would likely be to keep Salah on beyond this summer and bring in a talent like Hadj Moussa at the same time, to reduce the pressure on his shoulders and bed him into the side gradually.
Whether Hadj Moussa is the one to take on that thankless task of one day stepping into the Egyptian’s shoes remains to be seen.
