Fabrizio Romano has shared an overnight update regarding a 23-year-old attacker who has been linked with Liverpool as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah if the latter departs.

Earlier this week, Portuguese outlet A Bola reported that Liverpool was targeting Joao Felix as a potential successor to Salah in case the Egyptian forward moves to Al-Ittihad.

However, according to Romano, Liverpool is not Joao Felix’s first choice. He suggests that Liverpool would only have a chance to sign the Atletico Madrid attacker if his preferred move, which is to Barcelona, does not materialize.

In his tweet posted in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Romano mentioned: “Barcelona are prepared to activate the ‘operation João Félix’ in the next 48h — board working to find a solution to make it happen with FFP. João, only waiting for Barça since that interview in July. He’d only consider other clubs or Saudi if Barca FC deal collapses.”

Joao Felix, who was signed by Atletico Madrid for an astonishing €126 million (£113 million) as a teenager in 2019, has not experienced the career trajectory he may have hoped for. A loan spell at Chelsea last season saw him score only four times in 20 appearances and receive a red card on his debut. Chelsea’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, chose not to sign him permanently during the summer.

While Joao Felix was considered a highly talented young prospect when he commanded a nine-figure transfer fee, his performance level has not reached that of Mohamed Salah, making him an unlikely replacement.

Based on Romano’s update, it appears unlikely that Joao Felix will be joining Liverpool anytime soon, and even if he does, it would not be his first-choice destination. Therefore, Liverpool fans may not be too concerned about the prospect of him joining the club, regardless of Mohamed Salah’s future.