Barcelona make surprising choice between Liverpool stars
Sadio Mane seems like the perfect fit to thrive under Ronald Koeman at Barcelona, but the La Liga giants want to buy Mohamed Salah from Liverpool instead.
It’s easy to understand why Barcelona would be interested in the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. Both Liverpool stars have the attacking qualities necessary to boost Ronald Koeman’s attack. The idea that Salah, not Mane, is actually the Spanish club’s top transfer target is a massive surprise for all involved.
The conventional wisdom has been that Koeman wanted to pry Mane away from Jurgen Klopp to help transition Barcelona to a high pressing style. Mane’s maniacal work rate is crucial to Liverpool’s hyper-aggressive culture. He may not be quite the goal scorer that Salah is when both stars are at their best, but it’s not as if Barcelona are short on players who can put the ball in the back of the net.
It now seems that Barcelona want to prioritize purchasing Salah instead of his talented teammate. According to The Express, Koeman wants to bring Salah in and the Egyptian attacker is keen to make the switch to Spain. Salah certainly has the attacking chops required to succeed at Barcelona, but adding him does seem somewhat redundant for a squad that already contains Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
It’s possible that Barcelona’s shift is a product of Liverpool’s willingness to part with Salah over Mane. It might surprise some supporter at Anfield to learn that Klopp places more value on the Senegalese star, but his willingness to do the squad’s dirty work has endeared him to his gaffer. Salah is brilliant as well but is more of a luxury player for the defending Premier League champions.
Another theory is that Salah is the player more willing to make the move. He may have grown tired of the sheer amount of effort required to thrive in Klopp’s system. He could see a move to Barcelona as a way to increase his salary and reduce the amount of work he’s asked to put in without the ball.
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No matter what the explanation, expect Liverpool to put up a massive fight. Klopp won’t be keen to lose any world-class players just as his domestic season kicks off. If Barcelona wants to buy Salah it’s going to cost them a small fortune. The chances of any move coming together in the next few weeks remain very low.