Liverpool have 'perfect Mohamed Salah replacement' that surprised Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool icon Didi Hamann believes Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would be the ideal candidate to succeed Mohamed Salah at Anfield. The Georgia international, who excelled for his country at Euro 2024, has been widely tipped to leave Napoli this summer.

Kvaratskhelia played every minute of Georgia’s campaign before they were eliminated by Spain after reaching the knockout rounds for the first time ever. He also outshone Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring in Georgia’s historic group stage win over Portugal.

The 23-year-old helped Napoli to Serie A glory two seasons ago but is looking for a fresh challenge ahead of the new campaign. Hamann believes he would be the perfect man to replace Salah at Liverpool if the Egyptian maestro completes a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.

“I like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, I like him a lot,” Hamann told Gambling Zone. “I read an interview and his dad said that they need to find a solution regarding his future this summer. Everything indicates that he will be leaving Napoli and that his time at the club is coming to an end.

“It’s a great story because nobody heard of him two or three years ago. He turned up at Napoli and wins a Scudetto playing some absolutely brilliant football in a breath-taking season for the club. He’s a guy who makes people go to the ground. He’s a player that people will pay money to watch.

“When you walk to a ground on a Saturday, it’s players like him that people talk about, that people want to see. He gets bums off seats. He’s a very humble guy. He’d be brilliant at Liverpool, and, if you’re talking about Salah replacements, then he’s probably as close to a perfect replacement that Liverpool could find.”

Kvaratskhelia has bagged 51 goal contributions in two seasons with Napoli since joining from Georgian side Dinamo Batumi in 2022. He primarily plays on the left wing but his two-footedness allows him to cover on the right flank when needed.

His agent, Mamuka Jugeli, has already revealed that his client is eager to quit Napoli before the new campaign gets underway. His preference would be to join a Champions League club, which suggests that Liverpool could be an attractive destination for him.

“I don’t want people to think that Kvara wants to stay at Napoli,” said Jugeli last month. “We want to leave, but we are waiting for the end of the Euros so as not to disturb Khvicha. The priority is to join a team that plays in the Champions League.”