Liverpool continued their seasonal resurgence with an awesome fightback victory against Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, preserving their 100% record at Anfield this season.
With Manchester City dropping points at home to Tottenham Hotspur later in the day, Jurgen Klopp's side have now advanced to second place and remain just two points away from table-toppers Arsenal.
While this revival is impressive – Liverpool were poor last year and finished fifth – there is undoubtedly work still to be done and Klopp will aim to strengthen the defensive department in January and next summer.
But there's a possibility that a certain forward will leave Anfield sooner rather than later, and, as such, contingencies appear to have been made.
Liverpool transfer news – Leroy Sane
If Mohamed Salah leaves Liverpool in 2024, reports from October claimed that Bayern Munich maverick Leroy Sane has been earmarked as the first-choice replacement.
Such rumours have persisted, and – speaking to GIVEMESPORT – transfer insider Dean Jones has issued an update on the budding saga, revealing that the €100m (£87m) star is of genuine interest to Klopp's side.
Jones said: "Sane has been linked for a while and I think there's something in it in terms of Liverpool want to be kept abreast of the situation, but I don't think there's anything imminent on the cards. I don't think Sane is on the verge of joining Liverpool.
But there is going to come a point when they have to start thinking more clearly about what happens after Salah."
Why Liverpool are interested in Leroy Sane
Basically, Liverpool are monitoring Sane's situation at Bayern because of the lingering uncertainty surrounding Salah's future at Anfield, with the irreplaceable Egyptian forward needing an heir. As daunting as that sounds.
Salah, aged 31, is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and was the subject of avaricious transfer attention from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in the summer, with Liverpool rejecting a staggering £150m offer late in the window.
It would be wrong to claim that Salah wasn't interested in a move, but he remained a sterling example and did not even probe at the proposition of an exit, allowing the narrative to unfurl of its own accord.
That's not to say that he will remain on Merseyside beyond his current deal, however, and the man who has plundered 199 goals and 86 assists from 325 appearances for the Reds will need a first-class replacement, and Sane may well be the man for the job.
Leroy Sane's style of play
Signing for Bayern Munich from Manchester City for £55m in 2020 – where the Germany international scored 39 goals and provided 46 assists from 135 outings, notably winning two Premier League titles and the FA Cup – Sane has reinvented himself after a long-term injury at the end of his Citizens career.
Described as a "world-class" player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Sane is electric and dynamic and is comfortable across both wings, actually finding more prolific success on the right of late.
Indeed, the £332k-per-week whiz has been exemplary this season and has posted nine goals and seven assists across 20 appearances in all competitions – scoring seven from 12 matches on the right.
As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old gem has started 12 times in the 2023/24 Bundesliga, incredibly taking 3.1 shots and 3.6 key passes per game, completing 83% of his passes and averaging 3.3 ball recoveries per match.
Goals scored
0.38
Top 12%
Assists
0.35
Top 9%
Shot-creating actions
5.19
Top 12%
Pass completion
79.5%
Top 17%
Progressive passes
5.44
Top 16%
Progressive carries
4.58
Top 20%
Successful take-ons
3.82
Top 3%
Should Liverpool decide to further discussions to secure his signature in the near future, he will likely be used on the right, in the place of Salah, which could be the beginning of a fruitful partnership with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Imagine Leroy Sane & Trent Alexander-Arnold
Sane's ability to use his pace to bypass opponents is one of his biggest, and most innate, skills, but he has sharpened his creativity and technicality to a fine point over recent campaigns and could now feasibly succeed Salah in Liverpool's attack.
Liverpool could hand Trent new role by signing "breathtaking" £52m-rated target
Jurgen Klopp could strengthen his side in a number of areas with one January signing…
ByRosie TudballNov 23, 2023
Should he arrive, he could indeed find goals and assists easy to come by with Alexander-Arnold providing the good from deep; the £180k-per-week Scouser is regarded as one of the finest assisters in the world and has been praised as a "genius" by journalist Neil Jones.
Few defenders have ever boasted similar skills, and his ability to pick out teammates in the most promising of positions is something that Sane, who relishes weaving in behind, could revel in, returning to the Premier League and unleashing his finest work to date on the opposition.
#
Player
No. of assists
1
Andy Robertson
57
2
Trent Alexander-Arnold
55
3
Kyle Walker
33
4
Kieran Trippier
32
5
Aaron Cresswell
30
It's worth noting that while James Milner and Ashley Young have produced more assists than any player on the table above, both have secured most through midfield roles, meaning they do not make the list.
Alexander-Arnold has long caused debate over his position, perpetually drifting forward and influencing attacking transitions with his celestial ball-playing skills, but he has always been deployed as the right-back in Klopp's team and is tallied as such.
One matter that is not up for debate is that Alexander-Arnold is among the most destructively creative forces in European football, ranking among the top 1% of full-backs for assists and passes attempted, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 3% for progressive passes and the top 21% for goals scored per 90.
With Sane in front of him, Alexander-Arnold could simply continue doing what has served him so well throughout his career so far: supplementing Liverpool's attack with defence-splitting, odd-defying balls.
Sane, for his part, is considered a similar player to Salah and has demonstrated his aptitude with both goals and assists across a glittering career so far, and he would surely be up to the task on Merseyside.