Liverpool transfer news - Mohamed Salah new club latest as 'contact made' over replacement

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Today's Liverpool FC transfer round-up column looks at claims the Reds are moving for a new right-winger as decision on Mohamed Salah's next club loomsLiverpool have quietly just completed what will surely prove to be one of their best bits of business this summer, tying star midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai down on a new contract that will run until 2031.The Hungary captain may have had his controversial moments last season - actually, no, he definitely had his controversial moments - but he was Liverpool's outstanding performer in a season that will live long in the memory for all of the wrong reasons, and those performances have now been rewarded with an improved deal that will see him continue to earn more in a week than I have in my entire career. The latest rumour has it that Bournemouth's Rayan might just be the one, with TEAMtalk claiming he's "firmly on Liverpool's radar" and that the Reds "have now made contact" for the Brazilian winger.Considering he only joined Bournemouth in January, and his massive £130m release clause doesn't even kick in until January, this feels a little far-fetched - but if Liverpool were to stump up a Diomande-size bid, it would be interesting to see how the Cherries would react.Iraola is clearly a fan - he signed him, after all - but is he ready for the responsibility after just six months in England?

It's hard to see him delaying his big move for too long, though, having taken to the Premier League like a duck to water.Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are all said to be "monitoring Rayan's progress" - a phrase which for some reason evokes an image of someone scribbling notes on a clipboard - so the Reds would be wise to start sweet-talking him now before other clubs get their grubby fingers on him.It'd be a long shot to get him this summer, but you never know.Liverpool missed out on SchlotterbeckA surprising claim came out of Sky Germany yesterday, as Patrick Berger (not that one) reports that Liverpool have missed out on the chance to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck in a cut-price deal, after the centre-back signed a new contract with a release clause valid until July 15.That has now, of course, expired - and you can't help but wonder if the Reds might have made an opportunistic move after the World Cup had Schlotterbeck not picked up a serious ankle injury at the tournament which is set to rule him out until at least the September international break.Apparently, the clause was only valid for three suitors: Liverpool, Real Madrid and one more unnamed club. Bayern Munich were not among the clubs in question, with Dortmund presumably sick of constantly losing their best players to the Bavarians.Schlotterbeck has been linked with the Reds for a number of years now and, after losing Ibrahima Konate, I'm certainly in the camp that says they could do with one more experienced option in the middle of the back line to ease the transition.Whether Liverpool might have swerved given he's a left-footer who plays on the left - Virgil van Dijk's preferred position - is unclear, but that could explain why they didn't swoop in before the tournament.Forest could cool Jones interestNottingham Forest's interest in Curtis Jones hasn't exactly been kept secret as they look to replace Elliot Anderson, but the Tricky Trees are prioritising other signings and are currently in negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur to sign Lucas Bergvall (Sky Sports).Spurs don't seem too keen on the idea of letting him go, having already rejected a £38m bid, but Sky say Forest "are not giving up in their pursuit" and see him as their "top target" to replace Anderson, who has joined Manchester City in a landmark £116m deal.On top of that, they've agreed a two-year contract with Austrian international midfielder Xaver Schlager, who left RB Leipzig this summer on the expiry of his contract (also Sky Sports).Sure enough, Football Insider are now reporting that Jones "has fallen down the pecking order of potential signings", even though midfield remains their priority area to reinforce.Now, that might just be putting two and two together, and it's worth noting what new Forest boss Oliver Glasner had to say about replacing Anderson - reading between the lines, it looks like they're planning to do it in the aggregate."When you lose and sell such a great player like Elliot, you can't replace him one-to-one because he's just doing so well," Glasner told the media in his first press conference (via Sky Sports)."But yes, we defined our profile of midfielders, what we want to add.

It's going to be difficult to replace Salah, though."The sheer cheek of this is admirable, but you have to wonder what Morientes was thinking with his three suggestions if Liverpool couldn't secure Lamine's services - you've got to cover all bases, after all."[Ousmane] Dembele, for example, is a player who thrives in that role, and I think he could deliver in England too," Morientes said, "because those are end-to-end games with a lot of space, and Dembele feels at home there."Who else is there? The Arsenal lad can be a bit up and down, but when he's on form, I really like [Bukayo] Saka there."So yes, there are players out there who could take on Salah's role, but getting the level of performance Salah has given Liverpool over so many years, that's a different matter entirely."Olise is the dream, of course, but he feels destined to join Madrid if he ever leaves Bayern - and the ship might have sailed on the other two suggestions years ago, if we're honest.But that's not all.