Salah arrival could see Liverpool teen sensation loaned out

Plenty of chirping has been made surrounding the future of Basel’s Mohamed Salah, with a string of elite Premier League sides allegedly willing to take a January punt on him.

Liverpool are one of those repeatedly linked with the Egyptian winger and his proposed Anfield switch is set to open the door for Raheem Sterling to move to Swansea on loan.

Having scored three goals in his last seven outings after struggling to break into the Reds’ first-team earlier in the campaign, Brendan Rodgers is keen to ensure the player’s development continues and Michael Laudrup is eager to hand him that opportunity.

The Swans have been strongly linked with a move for Blackpool’s Thomas Ince as they look to strengthen in the final third, a need that has been intensified in recent weeks following the news that Michu will be sidelined for a lengthy period of time following ankle surgery.

The south Wales side, formerly managed by Rodgers, adopt a similar style of play to the Reds and, therefore, would be the ideal place for Sterling’s growth to continue without his first-team opportunities being restricted.

A need for attacking reinforcements is required at Anfield for the second part of the campaign as they look to ensure their top-four push doesn’t run out of gas.

With injuries to the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard, the Reds have been pushed to the limit in terms of attacking personnel of late, the desperation of their situation highlighted by little-known Brad Smith’s substitute appearance against Chelsea.

Should Liverpool complete a move for 21-year-old Salah – who has scored five goals in 10 Champions League appearances this season, including two against Chelsea – Victor Moses and Luis Alberto will act as cover, freeing up Sterling to join Swansea for the remainder of the season.

A fee in the region of £8m is believed to be enough to strike a deal for the player and his arrival should improve Liverpool’s chances of winning the title, with odds of 9/1 saying they’ll do so at the minute.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date

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