Mo Salah has had some formidable teammates at Liverpool throughout his eight years at Anfield – Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane immediately spring to mind.
The Egyptian recently penned a two-year contract extension which keeps him on Merseyside until 2027, although another Premier League icon who rose to greatness after leaving Chelsea is now preparing to bring the curtain down on a lengthy and hugely successful spell at his current club.
Earlier this month, Kevin De Bruyne announced that he’ll leave Manchester City when his deal expires at the end of this season, with thoughts now turning to where the 33-year-old will go next.
Wayne Bridge ponders Salah-De Bruyne link-up at Liverpool
Three other Stamford Bridge alumni in Joe Cole, Carlton Cole and Wayne Bridge were discussing the Belgian’s future on The Dressing Room Podcast, with the question arising as to whether any Premier League club would be ‘cheeky enough’ to try and snap him up on a free transfer.
The ex-Chelsea and Southampton left-back immediately replied: “Liverpool. Imagine him linking up with Salah at Liverpool. Imagine! They couldn’t let that happen. They couldn’t let that happen, though. They couldn’t let that happen.”
Salah and De Bruyne would make an incredible combination!
Although Salah and De Bruyne were both Chelsea players in 2014, they never actually played together or were even at Stamford Bridge at the same time – the Belgian completed a permanent transfer to Wolfsburg a week before the Egyptian joined from Basel.
They’ve both gone on to achieve greatness since leaving west London, with the duo making themselves legitimate candidates in discussions about an all-time Premier League XI.
The Egypt winger has scored a phenomenal 243 goals for Liverpool in eight years at the club. In that time, Man City’s number 17 has supplied 144 assists for his team. As Bridge pondered, imagine them being teammates at Anfield with numbers like that and the devastation it would’ve caused to opponents!
With De Bruyne turning 34 in June and earning £400,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium (the same flat wage as Salah’s new deal), it appears most unlikely that FSG would deviate from their conventional business model to the extent of signing him on those terms, even on a free transfer.
It seems even more improbable when they’re reportedly on the verge of tying down Van Dijk (also 34 this summer) to a contract extension, with the Reds captain currently paid £220,000 weekly.
Whoever signs the Man City playmaker will be getting a special player, who would’ve been incredible in the same team as Liverpool’s number 11, although that seems an unrealistic prospect.
