Report: Liverpool Planned for Future with Interest in Experienced Bundesliga Winger | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Sensible Long-Term Play Over Leroy Sane Links

Interest in Leroy Sane Reflects Liverpool’s Forward Planning

Liverpool’s 2024/25 campaign has been built on a foundation of stability and smart planning. Even as fans celebrated the critical contract extensions of Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, there were clear signs the club had contingency plans in place.

Christian Falk, via cfbayerninsider.com, revealed Liverpool were among the clubs interested in Leroy Sane before the German winger committed his future to Bayern Munich. Sane, once a Premier League menace in Manchester City colours, was reportedly on the Reds’ radar as a potential free agent — a calculated short-term solution had Salah’s Anfield chapter come to an end.

This flirtation with Sane suggests Liverpool’s hierarchy never allowed sentiment to cloud their judgement. Despite a season chasing glory, they prepared for a scenario where even the irreplaceable Salah might have moved on.

Sane’s Qualities Would Have Brought Short-Term Impact

Sane’s talent is unquestionable. His devastating pace, deft footwork, and Premier League pedigree made him an attractive option, particularly on a free transfer. At 29, however, he doesn’t fit the usual Fenway Sports Group (FSG) model of investing in younger, resale-value players.

Sane would likely have commanded a high salary and, given Liverpool’s careful wage structure, signing him might have complicated future negotiations elsewhere in the squad.

Still, a player with his experience — particularly with title-winning Manchester City and dominant Bayern sides — would have offered an instant injection of quality, ensuring Liverpool’s wide threat remained potent in any Salah-less future.

Salah’s Contract Renewal Sends a Global Message

Instead of replacing their icon, Liverpool secured Salah’s future. In doing so, they delivered a message not just to supporters, but to the footballing world: Liverpool remains a club where elite players believe they can still win at the highest level.

Photo: IMAGO

With Arne Slot steering the ship into a new era, these decisions speak of ambition matched by strategic calm — not a club reacting to fear, but one mapping its future with purpose.

Liverpool’s Strategy Looks Beyond Immediate Headlines

In a footballing landscape addicted to dramatic, expensive quick fixes, Liverpool’s approach deserves admiration. Pursuing Sane if necessary showed flexibility; securing Salah showed strength.

Now, as Liverpool look to clinch another title and prepare for the battles to come, they do so with their talisman still wearing No.11 — and with contingency plans shelved but never forgotten.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

The idea that Liverpool were weighing up Leroy Sane as a Mo Salah replacement feels strange but also shows how pragmatic the club’s thinking is behind the scenes. As fans, we always want to believe players like Salah will stay forever, but modern football demands that clubs plan for every possibility.

Sane might have been a decent short-term patch — someone who knows English football, still has a burst of pace, and could have slotted in quickly under Arne Slot. But let’s be honest: it would never have felt right. Liverpool aren’t the type of club that makes reactive moves like that without bigger long-term ideas in place.

Keeping Salah is a massive statement. It shows Liverpool are not in a phase of decline or rebuilding — they’re still serious contenders. The fact that players like Sane were only being considered “just in case” proves the club’s ambition matches that of the supporters.