Barcelona place Liverpool hero Mohamed Salah on a three-man transfer wishlist

Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah is on a three-man shortlist of transfer targets for Barcelona, with the Egyptian’s contract up in just 14 months’ time.

Spanish publication AS has reported that Barcelona want to make a marquee signing this summer, with Salah the club’s second-choice, behind Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and ahead of Bayern Munich No. 9 Robert Lewandowski.

The Catalan giants have recovered well from a disastrous 2021 where they underwent a Presidential change, lost star man Lionel Messi on a free to Paris Saint-Germain and sacked manager Ronald Koeman after a series of embarrassing results.

Thanks to new boss Xavi and January signings Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Barcelona look better shaped to take on Europe’s elite next season, evidenced by their current 13-game unbeaten run in La Liga, as well as their 4-0 thrashing of rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last month.

This will have made them much more attractive to top players like Salah, whose future at Anfield is in question after the 29-year-old rejected Liverpool’s latest contract extension offer, although it is understood that the winger, who has made 38 goal contributions in 37 games this season, wants to stay in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

While Barcelona President Joan Laporta has refused to talk about the possibility of acquiring Salah or Lewandowski, he did discuss the idea of signing 21-year-old Haaland, who has been linked with moves to Real Madrid and Manchester City.

But it seems that a deal for the highly-rated Norwegian is nothing more than a dream, with Laporta saying: ‘He would have to express his desire to come to Barca and, for the moment, he hasn’t.

‘Either they adapt to the conditions, or I see it as