Barcelona plan a historic transfer for Lionel Messi’s successor

Barcelona take a step in their bid to cater to Lionel Messi’s loss.

Barcelona will need to start planning for life after their greatest ever player soon. Lionel Messi is going to be 33 at the end of this month and as much as it hurts to say, the Argentinian has started to age and slow down in recent months. His injuries are becoming more frequent and the reduction in Messi’s pace has been visible.

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Paris Saint-Germain winger Neymar, a former Blaugrana himself has been linked with a return to the Camp Nou since a long time now. The Brazilian is himself keen on returning, but there seems to be some or the other hurdle in their way as Barca negotiate terms with the Parisians or even the forward himself, whose demands may prove beyond them.

Regardless of whether or not the 28 year old arrives, it is imperative that the Catalans start to think about what’s in store for them after Lionel Messi is phased out or perhaps is not as regular a fixture in the squad as he is now. With that in mind, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been added to their transfer shortlist, as reported by Don Balon.

Salah has won the Golden Boot in each of his two seasons with Liverpool in the Premier League and there’s no doubt that he has developed into one of the world’s best players in recent years under Jurgen Klopp’s watchfulness. That said, he was crucial for their European success last year and will be an integral member as they go on to win the Premier League.

In 2018, Real Madrid were unsuccessful in their bid to land the Egypt international and that must show Barcelona the kind of financial stealth they would need to satisfy the 6-time European champions’ demands. Mo Salah will cost in excess of 120 million euros or somewhere close to that figure but it will be justified if he can perform.

Salah has his own advantages and disadvantages

Liverpool’s lethal marksman is a fine goal-scorer and his overall contribution in terms of what happens in the final-third must not be questioned. Salah’s pace and distribution of the ball is incredibly and while he is far from the player that Lionel Messi is or ever was, the former Roma forward could be the ideal player for Barca to snap up on.

At this time, the Blaugrana cannot have someone in their roster who looks for annual renewals to his contract and perhaps, Salah is the right player keeping the financial aspect in mind as well. He prefers being away from the media and is more focussed on delivering the goods on the pitch, especially on the bigger stage.

Mohamed Salah’s arrival must be fixed as an objective for 2021, but at the same time, he will be 28 and the club must also look at alternatives. Salah is certainly experienced and his quality is statistically backed, but if the likes of Jadon Sancho or Raheem Sterling can be signed instead, it may be a bigger gain for the La Liga giants.

Who do you think must replace Messi when it’s time to do so?