Barcelona will reportedly turn their attentions to Mohamed Salah should they fail in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund 's Erling Haaland this summer.
The Liverpool forward allegedly heads the Blaugrana's three-man shortlist for back-up options as the cash-strapped Catalan club fear Manchester City will pip them to Haaland's signature.
Amid uncertainty surrounding his future, Salah struck his 20th Premier League goal of the season in the Reds' 2-0 triumph over Brighton on Saturday.
The Egyptian attacker has entered the final 15 months of his current Anfield deal and has seen talks over an extension stall due to his reportedly excessive wage demands.
It has now emerged that Barcelona could look to exploit his contract stand-off, should their attempts to lure Haaland to the Nou Camp prove unsuccessful.
According to AS, the Spanish giants believe current Premier League champions City are leading the race for the in-demand Dortmund striker, forcing them to draw up a contingency plan.
The Spanish outlet claims that Liverpool's Salah is their first-choice back-up option - one of three high-profile names on their reserve list of strikers.
It is thought Barcelona would be willing to offer the Reds around £55million for the 29-year-old's services this summer, given his current deal expires in June of 2023.
The report claims the La Liga outfit would then be willing to pay Salah himself around £84m over the following four years.
However, should they fail to land the Liverpool forward as well, two other names are in contention to lead Xavi's line next season.
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Bayern Munich 's Robert Lewandowski, who, like Salah, is also out of contract next summer and is yet to pen fresh terms, is another option taking Barcelona's fancy.
The prolific Pole is a player admired by Xavi and, despite turning 34 this summer, is a striker who is far from finished given he recently reached 40 goals for the seventh season in a row.
With Barcelona reportedly aware they face competition from Paris Saint-Germain over Lewandowski, the third and final option on their back-up list in Chelsea 's Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian marksman only made his Stamford Bridge return last summer in a £97.5m deal from Inter Milan but has been continually linked with a move away.
The UK Government's decision to sanction the Blues' Russian owner Roman Abramovich has also cast a cloud of uncertainty over the club and the future of their players.
Haaland remains Barcelona's priority however, though the club's president Joan Laporta recently played down talk of signing the 21-year-old.
"We’re working hard and I know the fans are dreaming of some names - but some deals are very difficult," Laporta told esport3. "We will not perform any operation that puts the institution in danger, we can’t do it."
However, Barcelona director Mateu Alemany insisted: “This is not the time to rule out signings for next season. We work in maximum silence.”
