Barcelona identify Messi’s replacement and want him in 2021

Barcelona might not want Lionel Messi to leave the squad until eternity, but they have to start planning for life after him now that he is 31 years old.

What Lionel Messi has given to Barcelona and football as a whole is nearly impossible to replicate. The 31-year-old is perhaps one of the greatest footballers to ever grace the pitch, but unfortunately, we might be close to seeing the end of this extra-terrestrial monster who has stormed the footballing for the last decade and a half.

Barcelona’s core in the likes of Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi is catching up with age, but getting a replacement for their captain and all-time top goalscorer is going to be the primary and most difficult task. The Catalans don’t have any rightful successor, so they will be looking at someone external as per reports.

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Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been enjoying life on Merseyside since his signing in the summer of 2017, and he even hit his fiftieth Premier League goal in 72 appearances during the Reds’ 4-3 victory over Crystal Palace over the weekend. The Egypt international is Barcelona’s primary target as they seek to replace Lionel Messi.

The Catalans’ plan is to land the former AS Roma and Chelsea forward in 2021, when Messi will be 33 or 34 years old. Messi will not immediately be leaving or get phased out, but Salah will be slowly introduced to the seen in what will be a transitional phase for Barcelona who have to deal with life after Lionel Messi.

Barcelona’s initial plan was open to the world and Neymar was the prime man to replace Lionel Messi, with his arrival from Santos suggesting that the Brazil international is capable of inheriting Messi’s boots. However, the 26-year-old decided to switch pastures in 2017 and left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.

While a move to Catalonia has been speculated of late and even Neymar has been stepping up his efforts to leave Paris, there is more chance than not of him being elsewhere than at Barcelona. So, Barcelona have to turn their attentions to signing someone and Salah has been identified as the perfect man by them.

While Mohamed Salah enjoyed a blockbuster first season at Liverpool and set some unassailable, he has not been his usual self this season in spite of scoring goals. If one statistically has a look, the majority of Salah’s goals have come against smaller opposition in the league and he has failed in turning up against the top 6 sides, except Arsenal.

Should he go to Spain, he will struggle to break defences which have a stubborn organisation. The likes of Valencia or Villarreal can easily nullify him because Salah can only exploit his markers with speed rather than technique. He is far from being Lionel Messi’s replacement and Barcelona must look at other options.

Is Mohamed Salah the right player to replace Lionel Messi at Barcelona?