5 Liverpool players Edwards could target in Real Madrid role including Mo Salah

Liverpool have had plenty of time to accept that sporting director Michael Edwards will leave the club at the end of the season - but there could still be another sting in the tail.

It has been reported that La Liga giants Real Madrid have approached Edwards in a bid to convince him to take up the same role at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos president Florentino Perez is said to be impressed by the Anfield chief's cutting-edge recruitment skills.

From Virgil Van Dijk to Mohamed Salah, his signings have provided the backbone for Jurgen Klopp 's men becoming Premier League and European champions across the past three seasons.

But could Edwards, who will oversee his final transfer window on Merseyside in January, look to raid the Reds as soon as he signs up to a new project in the Spanish capital?

Here, Mirror Football takes a look at five players who could follow him to Madrid.

Join the debate! Who should Liverpool sign in Edwards' last transfer window? Let us know your thoughts here.

Mohamed Salah

Throughout their illustrious 119-year history, Real have prided themselves on bringing in and being the very best.

And when it comes to the world's best player at present, Salah surely takes the title.

As much as Perez wants to sign Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, the Egyptian is tagged as one of the 13-time European champions' most-wanted transfer targets.

With 21 goals to his name this season, Salah has taken his game up another level but has also, rather concerningly for the Anfield faithful, not renewed his deal with Liverpool which expires in 18 months' time.

Edwards should know all about the situation, his demands and Real's interest, making a switch to Carlo Ancelotti 's side seem much more realistic.

Although the last time Real captured the Premier League's best player, Eden Hazard, it did not work well, snapping up the 29-year-old would surely cement their place as the best team in Spain for a good few years.

Joe Gomez

To a player Klopp and co would likely be more open to losing, Gomez has recently been linked with an exit after over six years on Merseyside.

Despite his unquestionable top-level talent, injuries have derailed the centre-back's career and Gomez finds himself fourth-choice at the heart of the Reds' defence behind van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.

Missing most of last term with yet another long-term lay-off, the signing of Konate for £36million this summer indicated that Klopp's faith in Gomez was wavering and patience was wearing thin.

However, Real are considerably light on senior centre-backs, with only David Alaba, Eder Militao and Nacho Fernandez playing more than three league games this campaign.

So, having lost his place in Gareth Southgate 's England side, the 24-year-old could replicate Fikayo Tomori's move to AC Milan last January and rekindle his career with a European giant.

Naby Keita

One of Edwards' few Liverpool signings that has so-far failed to work out, Keita could be another beneficiary of pastures new.

Still 26, Los Blancos would likely be able to acquire the Guinea international for considerably less than the £54million the Reds paid RB Leipzig for his signature in 2018.

And Real are in needed of some younger legs in midfield, despite Toni Kroos (31) and Luka Modric (36) still bossing it in La Liga.

A slower pace of football would allow Keita to demonstrate his technical qualities at the Bernabeu, although he was notably substituted after just 42 minutes when the two teams met in the Champions League last season.

Nevertheless, the playmaker's spectacular goal against Real's rivals, Altetico, in October will hardly harm his case.

Roberto Firmino

The least lethal component of Klopp's deadly front three as of now, Firmino has recently struggled to consistently find his magic and a constant place in the starting XI, with his contract also expiring in June 2023.

But he can still boast about being Edwards' most-loved member, with the 42-year-old writing in his farewell letter to fans: "One of the other questions I always get asked is 'Who was/is your favourite player?'

"That's a really difficult question to answer so I won't even try. All I will say is my dog is called Bobby."

So, with that in mind, Edwards may well be inclined to offer the Brazilian a route out of Anfield, particularly with Real's current first-choice striker Karim Benzema being nearly four years his senior.

On top of that, signing the likes of Haaland and Mbappe could mean the Spanish behemoths needed a facilitator in their forward line to balance things out, and Firmino has shown he is more than capable of doing just that since 2015.

Have your say! How should Liverpool line up against Newcastle? Pick your team below.

Sadio Mane

Finally, to complete the famed front three who could find themselves free agents at the end of next season, Mane could offer some quality and experience if Edwards is to help Real transform into a younger outfit.

The Senegalese star has rediscovered his form this term after an underwhelming campaign last time out, notching nine goals and one assist.

Despite wonderkid Vinicius Junior being in red-hot form, Mane's more direct threat from across the attack is an option no right-minded team would turn down for the right price - especially if the 29-year-old could be convinced for free.