Real Madrid reportedly set to offer Mohamed Salah a "Mouth Watering Contract" in Response to Philippe Coutinho (Details, pics)

Real Madrid will reportedly pursue Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in response to Barcelona's purchase of Philippe Coutinho from the Reds.

According to GianlucaDiMarzio, Los Blancos are eager to snap up the Egypt international after their rivals splashed out a club-record £142 million on Coutinho.

Coutinho's arrival at Barcelona is a worrying sign for Real Madrid, who are already 16 points behind the Catalan giants in La Liga, so it's unsurprising they're evaluating ways to respond.

Zinedine Zidane's men have struggled significantly this season and no player has scored more than four goals for them in the Spanish top flight, so it's clear an injection of firepower would go a long way.

Salah would be a superb choice. As football writer Leanne Prescott demonstrated, he had an exceptional 2017, with his form improving even further after he moved from Roma to Liverpool last summer.

The 25-year-old has taken his game to another level at Anfield and is already enjoying the most prolific campaign of his career with half the season still remaining.

He showcased his strength, technique and eye for goal with his outstanding effort against Everton in December. As former Liverpool player David Thompson noted, the forward possesses pace in abundance, too: While he's particularly effective at carving open teams with penetrative runs in behind, Liverpool's attacking prowess often forces teams to adopt a defensive approach.

Nevertheless, as his goal record shows, he's becoming more adept at helping to break through sides that sit back—a trait that would help him at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, while it's of little surprise Salah's form has put him on the radar of Europe's elite, it would perhaps make him even more expensive than Coutinho.

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