-
News
- 1 hours ago
Confirmed: Liverpool eye Serie A’s best attacking midfielder as Salah replacement
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 26 Mar 2026 08:58 GMT
- 6 min read
News
Liverpool’s hunt for a replacement for Mohamed Salah is well and truly underway, with Juventus star Francisco Conceicao a player that FootballTransfers can confirm they hold an interest in.
Following Salah’s announcement that he will depart Anfield at the end of the season, the Reds have been linked with a string of possible players to replace the 33-year-old icon.
Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise is widely regarded as the dream option, yet the France international is unlikely to leave the Bundesliga side after a blistering 18-month spell in Bavaria.
Current ETV
Francisco Conceição
F, M (R), AM (C)
Juventus
Francisco Conceição
F, M (R), AM (C)
Juventus
ETV Range
€28.9M - €35.3M
FootballTransfers has been informed by sources that Conceicao is a player Liverpool are keeping close tabs on, confirming reports that were broken by RMC’s Fabrice Hawkins.
Who is Francisco Conceicao?
Conceicao signed for Juventus from Porto last summer in a deal worth €32 million, earning himself a regular starting spot for the Turin side. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) currently sits at that figure.
While the 23-year-old has regularly operated as a second striker, he has also featured on the right wing for Juventus. Across all competitions this season, he has supplied four goals and three assists.
Conceicao’s raw numbers may not look particularly impressive, particularly in comparison to the stellar figures that Salah has put up over the years, but he has run into some form at the crunch point of the season, having a direct hand in goals in three of his last four Serie A matches. Big clubs, including Liverpool, are taking notice.
How does Conceicao compare to Salah?
Conceicao has split his time between playing centrally and on the wing this season, making it difficult to draw too many firm conclusions about how he might fill Salah’s boots if a deal with Liverpool were concluded.
According to data analytics firm SciSports, he has spent 481 minutes playing as a winger in Serie A this season. It typically claims 900 is required to draw the most accurate conclusions.
Conceicao is more of a classic winger than Salah, who is a rounded presence on the wing for Liverpool.
Translating this into statistics from this season shows some encouraging signs for the Reds. Firstly, Conceicao’s volume of chance creation passes surpasses that of Salah this season, and he also exceeds Liverpool’s Egyptian King in terms of take-ons, shots and xG.
Versatility a bonus
Conceicao’s versatility might also be something that interests Arne Slot’s side.
The young Portuguese is rated by SciSports as the best attacking midfielder in Serie A this season, surpassing even the much-hyped talent of team-mate Kenan Yildiz and also Nico Paz, who appears destined for Real Madrid in the summer.
As a winger, he’s not quite as strong, despite being ranking among Italy’s elite widemen. SciSports ranks him as Serie A’s best dribbler in this area due to the frequency and quality with which he drives in possession.
Options open at Liverpool
Conceicao is just one of the options that Liverpool are studying as a potential Salah replacement, with the Reds also interested in the likes of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and PSG’s Bradley Barcola.
As the Anfield club digests the news of Salah’s forthcoming exit, they are clearly at a stage where they are casting their net wide to see what options are open to them.
With Federico Chiesa reportedly seeking a move back to Italy, it is logical that Liverpool should be looking at options at Juventus. A part-exchange deal may ease the path to Conceicao, who is unlikely to be allowed to leave Turin easily given he is under contract until 2030.
