Just five weeks out from the point at which he can speak to non-English clubs about a potential pre-contract agreement, we’re no nearer to knowing whether or not Mo Salah will remain a Liverpool player beyond the end of this season.
The Egyptian publicly revealed after the Reds’ win over Southampton last weekend that he’s yet to be offered a new deal at Anfield, with only seven months remaining on his existing terms.
While reliable reporters have moved to clarify that the lack of a contract offer doesn’t strictly mean negotiations aren’t taking place, the bombshell claim nonetheless prompted panic among LFC fans that their star winger won’t renew.
Salah and Liverpool still seem far apart on contract talks
In a comprehensive article for Sky Sports detailing how likely Salah is to stay at Liverpool, Melissa Reddy indicated that player and club still seem to have ground to make up on reaching terms which’d persuade the 32-year-old to put pen to paper.
She reported: “Liverpool, still heavily reliant on his gifts, have yet to make an offer they feel he would consider – or even just slightly amend. That is the marker that there is plenty of ground separating Salah’s expectations and their allowance, which of course, does not exist in isolation.”
However, she pointed out within the piece that the Egyptian wants to stay put and Anfield chiefs are keen to retain him, but it’s a matter of whether or not the two parties can reach an agreement which’d satisfy everyone.
Liverpool need to reach a compromise with Salah soon
Despite branding Salah ‘selfish‘ for going public about his contract situation after the Southampton game, Jamie Carragher implored FSG to give the Liverpool forward ‘his dough’ on commentary for that match, in which the 32-year-old scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season.
The situation is complicated by the Egypt international turning 33 next June and already earning £350,000 per week (Capology), and the Anfield hierarchy are known for prioritising pragmatism over sentiment when it comes to recruitment and contractual matters.
However, with some fans making their view clear prior to last night’s win over Real Madrid, it’d be negligent in the extreme from LFC not to compromise some bit on the player’s expectations, unless those are completely unreasonable.
Some may argue that handing a lucrative contract to a player who’s coming towards his mid-30s would carry a substantial risk, but surely it’s not as big a gamble as letting Salah leave and banking on finding a younger replacement who’d adequately fill the enormous void.
As Carragher pointed out earlier this week, Liverpool haven’t fallen off a cliff after the departures of Reds legends of the past, and won’t deteriorate once the Egyptian goes.
He may be right, but the reality is that the 32-year-old is still performing to a level which should have FSG thinking ‘let’s do everything feasible to keep this extraordinary footballer at our club’.
