Former Premier League striker-turned-pundit Darren Bent has given Liverpool some rather audacious transfer advice.
The Reds currently sit 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and are reigning European Champions, so in fairness it’s hard to imagine what exactly Jurgen Klopp could do to improve this side.
Still, Bent reckons Liverpool could become an even better side if they cashed in on Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah and replaced him with someone like Kylian Mbappe or Jadon Sancho.
MORE: How Liverpool could line up with potential £156m double transfer: Ultra attacking formation and Firmino position change?
“Listen, we know he scores a lot of goals and he is a top, top player. Two Golden Boots, Player of the Season, Champions League winner, about to be a Premier League winner, the accolades are there,” Bent told talkSPORT.
“But when you look at his general play to say someone like Mane, I’d have to say Mane’s been better than him.
“He may score more goals than Mane, but Mane’s work-rate for the team, he’s unselfish, always looks for others first, he’ll get his fair share of goals. So you can’t sell Mane, he’s so important.
“Firmino, we know he doesn’t score that many goals, but he’s the glue, he links it all together. His hold-up play is arguably one of the best in the league. He brings players in, holds on to the ball, he’s fantastic.
“So you look at Salah, yes he does score all these goals, but is he really complementing Mane and Firmino or is he looking for more goals?
“I’ve seen certain situations this season where he should pass it, but he’s shot, and you can see the frustration starting to build.
“It’s not about selling him and getting £100million and that’s it, but if you can replace him with an Mbappe or someone like a Jadon Sancho, I think it’s worth thinking about.”
It seems highly unlikely that LFC will actually be able to do this, but in a way Bent probably makes a decent point about how this ambitious project could benefit the club.
Salah is undoubtedly a superb goal-scorer, but Bent is probably right to point out that he’s behind Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in terms of his overall contribution and work rate on the pitch.
There seems little need to actually try to make this happen, but if Liverpool really want to strive for perfection, there could be some sense in exploring the idea of a big-name signing of that type to replace Salah at some point in the near future.