Jamie Carragher has been as invested in the new contract drama for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk as much as we have, and he has a new concern over the club’s bargaining power.
In just over nine weeks Liverpool’s season will come to a close at Anfield, hopefully with a trophy lift, but we are not any closer to tying Salah, Van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold to new deals.
They have each navigated their futures with a different approach whether it be silence, honesty or with a clear motive, but as it stands they will not report back for the 2025/26 season.
There is still time for that to change, but Carragher has aired new concerns over the negotiations after Liverpool’s torrid week ended with a Champions League exit and a cup final defeat.
With Salah incredibly quiet in the first leg at PSG and again against Newcastle, Carragher is left to wonder whether Liverpool will see that as a sign of things to come and reflect that in their offers.
Speaking on the It’s Called Soccer podcast with Gary Neville, Carragher said: “Do you know what worries me, not from their point of view, more from the club’s point of view.
“My feeling and worry is, it kept feeling like Salah and Van Dijk were winning the PR battle because Liverpool were top of the league, winning every game in the Champions League, talking about trebles, going to do this, going to do that.
“And in the last week, I hope this isn’t the case, but maybe the people at the club are going ‘Is this a little sign of things to come in the future? Is Salah being off form or is this the future of Salah’?
“If they don’t win as much, are they in a stronger bargaining position or are the club right to say, ‘Hang on, we think you’re only worth this’.
“I mean you’ve won the league, we haven’t won the Champions League, you haven’t won the Ballon d’Or.
“I was actually thinking this means the club are maybe not going to shift the goalposts at all or maybe only slightly if you end up winning the league.
Out of Van Dijk, Trent and Salah, how many do you think will sign a new contract?
All 3
None
2 stay, 1 leaves
1 stays, 2 leave
“Imagine if Liverpool would’ve won the league, the Champions League, and Salah the Ballon d’Or, it’s give him what he wants, all that again.
“So, no, I think the club will look at that and think our offer’s right.”
All parties will feel entitled to hold firm on what they want from any deal but Carragher’s words do lean towards the club accepting the pair will leave if their offer is not accepted.
They are more than entitled to do so but it is a worry as Liverpool’s squad overhaul for the summer will become all the more sizeable if they do, and every other club in the world will know it as well.
