Liverpool's Transfer Window Dilemma: Replacing Mohamed Salah

Liverpool enter the final stretch of the transfer window with a squad that still looks worryingly unfinished.

There’s roughly a week left to get deals over the line. For a club that talks openly about chasing trophies, the business so far feels light. Four first‑team players have gone. Three have come in. None convincingly replace what has been lost.

Andoni Iraola arrived with the expectation that he would reshape this side. The overhaul has started, but the picture remains blurred. As it stands, nobody can say with certainty what Liverpool’s attack will look like when the window shuts.

One thing should have been clear from day one: replacing Mohamed Salah had to top the agenda.

Sporting director Richard Hughes has known since early July that Yan Diomande would not be the solution on the right. That decision only sharpens the focus on the delay. The longer the search drags on, the louder the questions grow around why the “Egyptian King” still has no heir.

Bradley Barcola is now the primary target. The profile fits, the excitement is real, but Paris Saint-Germain’s asking price is sky-high and has stalled the move. The fee is described as extortionate, and that single word explains why Liverpool are still waiting.

With Barcola proving difficult, the rumour mill has spun into overdrive. Other names have surfaced. Ibrahim Mbaye is among them.

At just 18 and already making a name for himself in Paris, Mbaye has caught the eye of several major clubs, Liverpool included. His age and potential make him exactly the sort of prospect Europe’s elite circle around, which only fuels anxiety among supporters about whether the club can actually get a deal done.

That tension eased slightly with an update from Fabrizio Romano, which has given Liverpool fans a sliver of reassurance over their long-term interest. It doesn’t solve the window, but it calms the mood.

Complicating everything is the situation around Cody Gakpo.

Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are both hovering, testing Liverpool’s resolve and threatening to rip open another hole in an already thin attack. On Sunday, Gakpo was Liverpool’s standout forward. On form alone, letting him go now would look reckless.

The scenario is stark. Liverpool could pull off both Mbaye and Barcola and still end up short in attack. Hugo Ekitike remains sidelined with no clear return date, leaving another gap in the front line and stripping away depth just as the season starts to bite.

All of this piles pressure onto Hughes and the recruitment team. If Liverpool reach deadline day without properly reinforcing their attack, the scrutiny will be fierce. And that’s before anyone even dares to touch Gakpo.