Who is Bilal El Khannouss? The 19-year-old Moroccan linked with a move to Liverpool

As Mohamed Salah enters the twilight of his career, he is still scoring goals at an alarming rate for Liverpool. But it won’t last forever. The Reds will need to eventually look for a younger alternative to replace the prolific goal scoring and attacking prowess the Egyptian has been consistently producing over the last seven years for the club. Whilst there is still a lot of faith in 27-year-old Luis Díaz, 27-year-old Diogo Jota and 24-year-old Darwin Núñez, the Merseyside club should perhaps be looking at the next generation in an alternative attacking option that could help that trio blossom. Genk’s Bilal El Khannouss could be that man to unlock their potential.

The 19-year-old is currently away at AFCON with Morocco, where has made two substitute cameos from the bench so far. Only Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande has a higher market value at the tournament from players aged 20 or under than El Khannouss. And the Genk attacking midfielder is attracting serious interest from Europe’s elite.

Who is El Khannouss and what’s he done so far?

El Khannouss came through the academy at Genk (the same club as Kevin De Bruyne) and has already made 76 appearances for the first team at the age of 19. He also made his debut for Morocco aged 18 at the 2022 World Cup, and has 3 caps for the Atlas Lions. His statistics aren’t superb with only four goals and 10 assists in those matches, but Manchester City’s successful signing of Jérémy Doku may have more English clubs looking at the best young wingers and attacking midfielders in the Belgium Pro League, and El Khannouss won the Golden shoe award for the best young player in the league in 2022. He was also nominated for the Golden Boy award that was eventually won by Jude Bellingham.

Transfermarkt content manager in Belgium Bart Tamsyn tells us more about the young Moroccan: “El Khannouss was already regarded as one of the biggest talents in Belgian youth football even before his debut. He was immediately put into the starting line-up by Wouter Vrancken last season and never gave up that place despite the occasional dip in form, which is normal at his age. What makes El Khannouss' game so unique in Belgium is that, at that young age, he has both the vision and the pass to reach the space he has seen. In addition, he can also couple that with a very solid physical presence and a solid mentality. He is a winner, but won't get ahead of himself either, thanks to the input of his entourage (his mother is his agent).

“The 'big downside' is that he cannot yet link the high efficiency in his game towards goals and assists. Last season in the league, he scored just 1 goal and registered 3 assists in 33 games. This season he is doing a bit better, although 3 goals and 3 assists in 20 games are not exactly figures that are expected to make you a high-flyer in the Premier League. But maybe he just needs more players around him who see the game the way he sees it.”

Which clubs could rival Liverpool for El Khannouss’ signature?

Liverpool are said to be among a number of top clubs interested in the teenage prodigy El Khannouss, according to Belgian news outlet Het Laatste, who claim that the Reds have sent scouts to watch the 19-year-old Genk midfielder in action. The teenager is under contract until 2027 but Genk are expected to cash in this summer.

The Reds face competition from Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid, with the latter reportedly interested in pushing to get a deal over the line this month, which could potentially galvanise the Reds into action. Atletico Madrid have struggled in terms of creativity and El Khannouss could be the answer to that. The attacking midfielder has a current market value of €22m - the second most valuable player in the league behind Arthur Veermeren of Royal Antwerp.