Chelsea star identified as Liverpool's "dream" Mohamed Salah replacement

The theme of this summer for Liverpool has been wingers, where it is set to be all change. Mohamed Salah has joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer, ending his nine year career on Merseyside, while Cody Gakpo is seemingly on his way to Manchester City for £85 million, a transfer both sets of supporters have mixed feelings about.

To replace the Dutchman, Bradley Barcola is poised to arrive from Paris Saint-Germain for up to £123 million. Fans are certainly excited to see the Frenchman in action for the first time. However, without wanting to overlook Víctor Muñoz, the Reds still very much require a Salah replacement, which will be easier said then done, considering the Egyptian King scored 257 goals for the club.

The players they are purportedly targeting for the vacant right winger position are Ismaïla Sarr, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Yankuba Minteh. The Reds have been put off the Gambian by Brighton's astronomically high valuation so, at the time of publication, Sarr certainly looks like the most-likely to arrive.

However, he is certainly not the forward Liverpool would move like to recruit. That player has now been revealed. As reported by journalist François Plateau, Chelsea's Estêvão Willian is the Reds' "dream target". He adds that they have enquired about the Brazilian international, "but were told door is not open to exit".

Despite this, Liverpool are still "weighing up" a bid to test Chelsea's "resolve". Kopites may remember Estêvão from last October, when he slid in at the back post to bag a 95th minute winner at Stamford Bridge towards the start of the miserable run Arne Slot's side endured last autumn.

The 19 year old joined Chelsea from Palmeiras for up to £49 million, scoring eight goals and registering four assists during his first season in West London. However, his season was brought to an abrupt end in mid-April, suffering a serious hamstring tear against Manchester United, which forced him to miss the World Cup.

Nevertheless, having previously racked up 27 goals and 15 assists for Palmeiras while still only a child, Estêvão remains one of the most highly-rated teenagers anywhere on the planet. Thus, Chelsea would be reluctant to sell, albeit he is not currently in Xabi Alonso's preferred XI; Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and João Pedro have really clicked as a front three. Given the Blues' business model under Clearlake Capital, were Liverpool to make a big enough offer, they'd certainly consider it.

Is Estêvão Willian better than Liverpool's other winger targets?

Of course, Estêvão's age is one of the reasons why he is so attractive; the Brazilian is almost a decade younger than Sarr. However, in terms of pure output, how does he compare to the other wingers the Reds have targeted from within the Premier League, namely Minteh and the aforementioned Sarr?

Liverpool's winger target: Premier League statistics 2025/26

Note: All statistics are courtesy of Squawka and SofaScore.

In last season's Premier League, it is Estêvão who comes out on top for the vast majority of attacking metrics. Worth acknowledging that the Brazilian did play, by some distant, the fewest minutes of the trio, racking up only 846 during his first campaign in the Premier League. Nevertheless, he leads the way, on a per 90 basis, when it came to shots, chances created and take-ons, as well as the amount of touches he enjoyed.

Of the other two, Minteh's statistics were the most similar, also a creator and dribbler. Sarr, on the other hand, is more a goal threat, and does not really create chances for others, not frequently beating a defender on the dribble, thereby a very different stylistic fit.

Thus, Estêvão would be an amazing signing if Liverpool were able to pull it off, but this does feel like a bit of a pipe dream.

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