Liverpool Targets Francisco Trincão to Replace Mohamed Salah
Liverpool’s search for life after Mohamed Salah has taken a fresh twist in Portugal.
Francisco Trincão, the Sporting CP playmaker enjoying the best season of his career, has emerged as the latest name on the Anfield recruitment radar, with reports in Portugal linking the 26-year-old to a summer move to Merseyside.
Trincão enters the frame
Liverpool’s interest comes at the end of a campaign in which Trincão has finally delivered on the promise that once earned him a move to Barcelona. Operating off the right flank or drifting into midfield, he has racked up 13 goals and 18 assists in 53 appearances across all competitions for Sporting, numbers that have not gone unnoticed outside Lisbon.
Portuguese outlet Record, relayed by Sport Witness, reports that Liverpool are monitoring the winger as they weigh up options to replace Salah, whose long-term future at Anfield remains uncertain. The club spent more than £450m last year, yet the forward line is again under review as the hierarchy prepares for the possibility of their talisman moving on.
Trincão’s versatility is a clear attraction. He can start wide on the right, attack the half-spaces or drop deeper to link play, the kind of multi-functional profile that fits the evolving blueprint under Arne Slot. His coach Rui Borges has already hinted publicly that a summer exit is on the table, opening the door to serious conversations once the window opens.
Diomande door slams shut
Liverpool’s gaze turning more firmly towards Trincão follows a reality check in Germany.
Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old who has lit up his first season at RB Leipzig after arriving from CD Leganes, has all but ruled out a move in the upcoming window. The Reds have tracked the teenager closely, with Manchester United also among the admirers, but the player himself has drawn a clear line.
Asked whether he expects to still be at Leipzig in the 2026/27 season, Diomande answered bluntly: “Yes.” Speaking to Kicker, he underlined his contentment with life in Saxony.
“I’m not thinking about that right now. I’m at Leipzig and I enjoy playing here. In the end, it’s always the statistics that count. It’s been a fantastic year for me.”
Inside the club, the message is even stronger. Red Bull figurehead Oliver Mintzlaff has made it clear that Leipzig have no intention of cashing in on a player they believe is only at the start of his rise.
“I can say: If I were sporting director, I wouldn't sell this young player, who hasn't even completed a full season with us. No matter what price is being asked,” he said. “I believe he's a player who can still develop further, because he's still very young. And he can certainly become more expensive.”
Mintzlaff acknowledged the pull of Europe’s elite — “FC Bayern is one of them, but also clubs from England and Spain” — yet stressed Leipzig’s stance. One standout season, he argued, should not immediately trigger a departure.
“We have to expect that a player, even if he delivers outstanding performances here, doesn't leave again after just one year. Therefore, I can only recommend to the management that they keep this player with us for the coming season. And then we'll have to see how he develops.”
Champions League football is central to that pitch.
“We want to play in the Champions League. And that's naturally an argument for such a young player, to then deliver what he's shown in a second season and potentially develop further – also at an international level. So we have many good arguments. And the best argument is a long-term contract. Therefore, I'm completely relaxed about the whole matter.”
Liverpool’s next move
With Diomande effectively locked away for at least another year, Liverpool’s recruitment team must recalibrate. Trincão, by contrast, looks accessible. A player entering his prime, thriving in a title-chasing side, and managed by a coach already resigned to the possibility of losing him.
For a club preparing for the seismic task of replacing Salah’s goals, creativity and presence on the right, the equation is simple: identify production, versatility and personality that can withstand the weight of Anfield’s expectations.
Trincão has made his case on the pitch in Lisbon. The question now is whether Liverpool decide he is the one to carry that burden on Merseyside.
