Mohamed Salah future: Liverpool 'make plans' for legend's successor

Liverpool are reportedly monitoring a Bundesliga attacker as a potential successor to Mohamed Salah.

After much speculation about his future, Salah signed a two-year extension in April, potentially keeping him at the club until 2027.

The forward, who secured a fourth Golden Boot last season and was recently named PFA Players' Player of the Year for a record third time, has scored 185 Premier League goals for Liverpool since joining in 2017.

However, the two-time Premier League winner will be 35 when his current contract expires, and the Reds have supposedly identified his replacement.

Liverpool ‘make plans’ after identifying Salah successor

As reported by The Mirror, Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise is one of the names on Liverpool’s radar if Salah leaves.

The Frenchman has a history in the Premier League, having played for Crystal Palace for three seasons between 2021-22 and 2023-24 before transferring to the German giants in a deal possibly worth up to €60m (£52m).

Olise, 23, scored 12 Bundesliga goals in 34 appearances, with his total in all competitions reaching 20 goals in 55 games in his debut 2024-25 season.

The reported Liverpool target has begun the new season strongly, netting twice in Bayern’s 6-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig in gameweek one and also scoring in the 3-2 Bavarian derby victory against Augsburg.

Any transfer for Olise, however, is complicated by the Bundesliga club holding the advantage in negotiations, especially considering that the France international signed a five-year contract in 2024.

Is Liverpool-linked Olise similar to Salah?

While Salah’s playmaking was impressive last season — the Reds forward assisted 18 goals and created 27 big chances — the Liverpool legend has been recognised for his goal-scoring since returning to English football.

Olise, on the other hand, is unquestionably a creative genius, with the Frenchman’s dribbling ability and creativity from wide or inside-right positions being key aspects of his game.

Olise may have scored double figures in goals last season, but his 15 assists and 32 big chances underline his tendency to create more than find himself in goal-scoring situations.

Strikingly, according to Fbref, Olise ranks in the 98th percentile for shot-creating actions per 90 among attacking midfielders and wingers, while Salah ranks in the 69th percentile for the same metric, highlighting the players' differing profiles.