Liverpool: €100m Real Madrid demand for Mbappe’s ‘main victim’ sees Hughes eye move for West Ham star

Rodrygo and Jarrod Bowen have been linked with Liverpool

Liverpool could abandon their pursuit of Real Madrid forward Rodrygo this summer if the Spanish side refuse to lower their asking price, according to reports.

The Reds could be set to lose Mohamed Salah in the summer transfer window with reports that clubs in the Saudi Pro League will try to tempt Liverpool into selling.

Liverpool on the lookout for Salah replacements

Salah was the subject of a £150m bid last summer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad with reports they were prepared to go to as much as £200m for the Egypt international.

However, Liverpool made it clear to the Saudis that their star player was not for sale at any price but speculation has already started ahead of the next transfer window.

And Liverpool are likely looking for potential options in forward positions if Salah pushes for a move to the Middle East in the summer.

The Reds have been linked to Real Madrid forward Rodrygo over the last couple of weeks with the Brazilian likely to be the ‘main victim’ of Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at the Bernabeu.

A report in Spain has already claimed that Liverpool have ‘raised’ their offer from €60m to €80m for Rodrygo but now Spanish publication Fichajes insists that Real Madrid are still holding out for €100m to part with the Brazilian.

Liverpool are ‘determined to find a quality replacement’ for Salah and ‘redoubled its efforts by submitting’ a second offer for Rodrygo but Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has made it clear he will not sell the Brazil international for less than €100m.

The report adds that new sporting director Richard Hughes may have to turn to a trio of alternatives if he doesn’t land Rodrygo with Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen, West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Juventus’ Federico Chiesa all on their shortlist.

Luis Diaz not top priority for Paris Saint-Germain

Luis Diaz has also been linked with a move away from Liverpool with Paris Saint-Germain understood to be interested in the Colombia international.

However, French football expert Jonathan Johnson insists that Leny Yoro and Bruno Guimaraes will come higher up their list as priorities than Diaz.

Johnson wrote in his Caught Offside column: “There’s been some recent speculation about Luis Diaz being a target for Paris Saint-Germain and my understanding is that the Liverpool forward is definitely a player that PSG are looking at as part of a wider shortlist of potential players to bring in this summer.

“Once they have the freedom to move without Kylian Mbappe being on their books any longer, then they will lower their wage bill and we’ll see how they move to replace Mbappe in attack. My understanding for now is that it’s not necessarily the case that Diaz is a priority target, but it’s more that they’re preparing for the possibility of looking at a player like him – he’s not the only player of that position or profile that they’re considering, but one of many they’re looking at.

“You could perhaps argue, being a Liverpool player, that Diaz is one of the higher profile names on PSG’s list, but if I’m honest I wouldn’t be so sure that that position will be a top priority for PSG this summer. I think they’ll look at other positions, most notably central defence and also defensive midfield.

“So names like Leny Yoro and Bruno Guimaraes are probably names to look out for that will be higher up on PSG’s list, but, for sure, as part of that there could also be Diaz as one of the names on a wider list for this summer.”