Kevin Strootman believes his Genoa teammate Albert Gudmundsson shows the same kind of promise he saw in Mohamed Salah at Roma. 'He can make the same leap.'

The Dutch midfielder was in the same Roma squad as Salah before the transfer to Liverpool and not everyone was confident that the Egyptian could take the step up to become world class.

"I said that Salah didn't always score goals at Roma, despite being clear on goal four or five times per game," Strootman told Radio TV Serie A.

"So others noted that if he did score every time he was clear, then he'd be at Real Madrid or Liverpool rather than Roma. And that's where he ended up."

Now Iceland international Gudmundsson is linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Inter, Juventus and Milan, following a great debut Serie A campaign at Genoa.

"If Gud can make the same leap, I think he can do well at a super top club. He must do it to become a world class player, because his quality is already beyond doubt. He is a serious professional and I am sure he'll do even better over the next few years."

Debut Gudmundsson season in Serie A Gudmundsson turns 27 next month and contributed 14 goals and three assists in 33 Serie A appearances for Genoa this season.

He also helped to secure their promotion from Serie B last term, arriving in January from AZ Alkmaar at a cost of just EUR1.5m.

Gudmundsson's value on the transfer market is now closer to EUR45m, with offers already rejected from Fiorentina mid-season.

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