Liverpool backed to sign 'absolutely frightening' £58m sensation that Jurgen Klopp would love

Sky Sports presenter Joe Thomlinson has backed Liverpool to recruit Christopher Nkunku as a replacement for Sadio Mane should the Senegal international leave.

The Reds have arguably the strongest attacking ranks in the Premier League with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi to choose from.

Harvey Elliott can also slot into an attacking role so it's clear that Jurgen Klopp has fantastic depth upfront but if Mane were to leave, signing a replacement would be tricky.

Could Christopher Nkunku be Sadio Mane's readymade replacement this summer?

You're kidding yourself if you think they're the same player even if they have some similarities but he would be an interesting replacement as it would require a few tweaks to Klopp's setup.

This season, Nkunku has been simply incredible. RB Leipzig have reaped the rewards by allowing the 24-year-old previously unprecedented freedom and it's yielded staggering results.

In 40 games for the Bundesliga side, Nkunku has 27 goals and 17 assists this season, including 7 goals and 2 assists in the Champions League and I'd be shocked if there isn't a secret scramble for his signature going on behind the scenes as I type this.

Liverpool backed to sign Christopher Nkunku as Sadio Mane replacement

Speaking on the Football Daily YouTube channel, Sky Sports presenter Joe Thomlinson says that the French star is perfectly suited to Liverpool's style of play.

He said: “It’s more likely to be Sadio Mane than it is to be Mo Salah [who leaves], I think that they’ll eventually come to some sort of agreement over Mohamed Salah. I think Christopher Nkunku is the guy for Liverpool.

“I think he’s just so perfectly laid out for how they want to play football, that it naturally fits. He can play on both sides, his off-the-ball work is sensational, his underlying numbers this season are just absolutely frightening, aren’t they?”

Where would Nkunku fit in at Liverpool if he joined the Reds?

It's a tricky question to answer especially after Liverpool signed Luis Diaz but given that he's so comfortable in a number of roles, he wouldn't necessarily need to be shoehorned into that left-wing role.

Nkunku can shine on the left but he's actually better down the middle in either a second striker role or as an attacking midfielder so it's a bit of lazy analysis from Joe Thomlinson to suggest he's the ideal replacement for Mane.

It would be incredible to see £58m-rated Nkunku in the same team as Diaz, Jota and Salah purely for the sake of entertainment but there's no need to rush Mane out of the door just to usher the RB Leipzig man in.