"He's direct and he plays in a similar fashion to Mo" – John Barnes believes star could be long-term Mohamed Salah successor at Liverpool

Liverpool legend John Barnes has claimed that West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus could potentially replace Mohamed Salah in the future.

Salah, who joined the Reds from AS Roma in 2017, is considered to be in the final years of his professional career. The 32-year-old has reportedly been on a number of Saudi Arabian side's wishlist for a while.

Speaking to British online bookmaker BettingExpert, Barnes stated that Kudus has a similar profile to Salah and could prove to be a fine replacement for the Egyptian. He said:

"Kudus was fantastic. He was sensational for West Ham last season. Even Mohammed Salah says he won't be here in three years time so that could be a role that Kudus takes on. He's young, he's dynamic, he's direct and he plays in a similar fashion to Mo."

Barnes, who played for Liverpool between 1987 and 1997, concluded:

"I think if you look at players we're targeting like Kudus and [Newcastle United star Anthony] Gordon, it shows the philosophy of the manager and the kind of players he wants at the club. I like Kudus a lot but we may have to lose some players to make way."

Since arriving from Ajax in a £38 million deal last summer, Kudus has recorded 14 goals and six assists in 45 overall games for West Ham.

Liverpool great open to midfielder's arrival

During a recent chat with BettingExpert, John Barnes was asked if Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley would be a good signing for Liverpool this summer. He responded:

"Liverpool have got [Dominik] Szoboszlai and [Alexis] MacAllister and if [Stefan] Bajcetic is used as a number six, then will [O'Riley] take over from those two? I highly doubt it but when you're talking about having a good squad, he could be a player to come in and supplement the squad. I don't know if he’ll come in and be a starting midfielder but I see him as a welcome addition to our squad."

O'Riley, who is a Fulham academy graduate, has established himself as one of the top performers in the Scottish Premiership over the last few seasons. The 23-year-old midfielder scored 19 goals and contributed 18 assists in 49 overall matches for his club last season.

Should the Celtic man move to Liverpool this summer, he would pop up as a squad option for them. The two-cap Denmark international would provide fine competition to the likes of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.