According to reports from Spain, Liverpool could be facing a major obstacle in their attempts to tie down one crucial player to a new contract.
The clock is ticking ominously towards the expiry date on the current deals for Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, each of whom will be free agents next summer as things stand.
As revealed by David Ornstein last week, Anfield chiefs are working towards renewals for all three of those players, with the Dutch defender rejecting the first contract offer from FSG.
How much are Liverpool prepared to pay in wages for Mo Salah?
Spanish outlet Fichajes have reported that Liverpool are prepared to hand Salah a new contract which’d see him remunerated to the tune of €18m (£14.9m) per year.
However, the 32-year-old apparently wants an annual salary of €25m (£20.7m) – a significant disparity of 39% on the club’s purported offer – in the belief that such a figure would reflect his on-field performance not just this season, but throughout his seven-and-a-half years with the Reds.
Fret not, Liverpool fans…
In all honesty, we’d take these reports from Spain with a pinch of salt, especially considering The Mirror‘s overnight claims that Salah’s wage demands have never been a problem during contract negotiations with Liverpool, with the length of any new deal the only significant obstacle to be cleared.
A yearly wage of £20.7m would amount to just under £400,000 per week, which is nearly £50k more than what Capology cites him to be currently earning as the Reds’ best-paid player.
Many might argue that the Egyptian would be deserving of such an increase amid a season which has seen him score 15 goals and set up another 12 by the first week of December, although his age (he turns 33 next June) could make a significant pay rise complicated if part of a long-term commitment.
Salah is reportedly happy to agree to a two-year contract extension at Liverpool (The Mirror), which seems a satisfactory compromise between keeping him at Anfield while still performing to an elite level and giving FSG the breathing space to identify and acquire a high-quality successor on the right flank.
Fingers crossed that a deal is signed soon and all the speculation over a possible exit in 2025 is finally put to bed.
