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13 goals, 3 assists, 23 chances created, in just 16 appearances in the so-called toughest league in the world. These stats have invariably caught the attention of Los Blancos, who look to reinforce their squad after their disappointing start of the season.
Speaking to Egyptian broadcaster ON Sport TV, The Egypt Manager Hector Cuper said:
"I have been told in confidence that Real Madrid are interested in Salah, but we are not going to get worked up about it."
"For me, it is an incredible situation at this point of time," he added.
Zinedine Zidane's side sit fourth in the Spanish top-flight after they cruised to a 5-0 victory over Sevilla this Saturday. Los Blancos have 31 points after 15 matches in La Liga and are enduring their worst ever start to the season since 2008-09, ironically, just after winning back-to-back Champions League titles and La Liga.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, nicknamed as The Egyptian Messi, is enjoying a dream start at Liverpool, after scoring 19 goals in a combined total of 24 Premier League and the UEFA Champions League matches.
Touted by many, as the signing of the season, Salah, also took his country to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, by scoring the stoppage-time penalty against Congo.
This was the first time since 1990 that Egypt have qualified for the FIFA World Cup. In Liverpool colours, Mohamed Salah is the top-scorer in the Premier with 13 goals in 16 matches, and has created 23 chances for his teammates in the process.
In the UEFA Champions League, he has scored 5 goals in 6 matches and also created 10 chances. Notably, he also scored a goal in the UEFA Champions League Playoff tie against Hoffenheim, which sums up his goal tally to 19 for Liverpool, so far this season.
Why Salah would be a perfect signing for struggling Los Blancos
Counter-attacking football has been the hallmark of Real Madrid’s game for years. They have been the best counter-attacking football team on the planet for some time now. Real Madrid can turn their defence into attack in the blink of an eye with tremendous pace of their prolific attackers.
With the departure of Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez, Los Blancos hoped Gareth Bale would share the goalscoring burden with Ronaldo this season. But, the Welshman has missed a host of games for Real Madrid due to his injuries this season, which is not a new sight since his arrival at the Spanish capital, for a then world-record transfer fee, from Tottenham in 2013.
Out of 15 La Liga games this season, Bale has featured only in 5 games for Los Blancos. Troubling indeed.
Ronaldo also has made some changes to his playing style, considering his age (He will turn 33 in February) and his pace has also dropped considerably. This was evident in the last few La Liga games, where he was unable to steer clear from the last defender, which otherwise he would have done easily, some time back.
So, Los Blancos are currently lacking the pace which is required for their counter-attacking playing style and this has cost Real Madrid dearly this season, both In La Liga, and the Champions League.
Salah, on the other hand, has scored some scintillating solo goals this season for Liverpool. His explosive pace with impeccable dribbling skills has made him the top scorer of the Premier League so far, rightly earning him the nickname "The Egyptian Messi" by not only scoring the host of goals, but also creating a number of chances for his teammates.
He can be a perfect replacement for Gareth Bale on the wings, breaking the stubborn defence of the teams with his blistering pace and mesmerizing dribbling skills. The solo goal that he scored for Liverpool against Arsenal in the 4-0 demolition this season, speaks volumes about his pace and footballing mind.
Let us take a look at some of Salah's achievements this season:
1) He is the Premier League's top goalscorer with 13 goals in 16 games so far.
2) He has been voted as the UEFA Champions League player of the week, twice, in a period of 6 weeks
3) He has been voted as the PFA player of the month for November after scoring 8 goals in 6 games in all competitions.
4) He was voted as the Liverpool player of the month, 3 times, this season. Yes, already.
5) He guided Egypt to the 2018 FIFA World Cup by scoring a stoppage-time penalty win, over Congo in Egypt's last and crucial qualifier match.
6) He won the African Player of the Year for 2017.
Impact of this transfer on Mohamed Salah, Real Madrid, and Liverpool
If the above transfer move materializes, then both Real Madrid and Mohamed Salah will walk away winners. Real Madrid are looking to offload injury prone Gareth Bale and replace him with the more consistent, Mohamed Salah, to score and create more goals, which they seem to be lacking this season.
Salah, on the other hand, would get a chance to play alongside the best footballers and unleash his real potential upon the world.
Real Madrid haven't officially confirmed their interest, but the news has been swirling around the market for past few days. This move could be historical, as Salah will become the first Egyptian to play for Los Blancos, should the deal eventually come through.
Liverpool will certainly be the losers of the above transfer move. They have shown ]signs of improvement under Jurgen Klopp, and the quartet of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
Salah has been the standout player this season for Liverpool and his departure could leave a big void in the Liverpool squad, akin to the transfer of Luiz Suarez to Barcelona.
Liverpool could subsequently make a move for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar, or Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, who will be out of contract at Arsenal by the end of this season. Klopp is also monitoring the situation of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Borussia Dortmund, who is also reportedly unhappy at the club.
But amid all these rumours, Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to keep hold of his star man in January, with fellow midfielder Philippe Coutinho likely to leave the Anfield Club for Barcelona.
Jurgen Klopp will certainly have to gear up for quite the battle come the transfer window.
