At some point in the next three months, we’ll finally know whether or not Mo Salah will remain a Liverpool player for the start of the 2025/26 season.
The Egyptian’s contract at Anfield is rapidly approaching its expiry date, and there’s still no discernible sign of an imminent renewal, with speculation over his future having been rife for some time.
One way or another, the saga will come to an end fairly soon, and a former Reds striker has claimed to have insider knowledge as to what the 32-year-old is thinking about putting pen to paper on a new deal in L4.
Owen: Salah wants to stay at Liverpool but agreement ‘quite a way apart’
Speaking to talkSPORT, Michael Owen indicated that Salah is very much in favour of staying at Liverpool and has urged Anfield chiefs to deviate from their generally rigid contractual policy in order to keep the prolific winger, but he hinted that both parties remain far apart in terms of reaching an agreement.
The 45-year-old said: “Mo Salah’s an interesting one. I think Mo Salah wants to stay. In fact, I’m pretty sure he wants to stay.
“I think Liverpool are going to have to bend the rules slightly. They might say, ‘Oh right, only two years for players of this age’, but he’s no normal player,
“He’s as fit as a flea, he’s dedicated, he lives in the gym, he’s so professional. You can’t tell me that he’s not going to be at the same level in three, four years. I mean, he’s just unbelievable, so I would bend the rules. I would give him the contract, the length of contract.
“I’m also not that type of person, a fan that says, ‘Just give him what he wants, he’s brilliant, we’ll win the league with him.’ No, because you can’t put your club at risk, but I don’t think it’s got to that stage. To replace him, it’s going to cost an awful lot more. You’re not going to pay a transfer fee for him.
“I would do whatever it takes to keep him, and I think he wants to stay, but sources tell me that they’re still quite a way apart.”
Both Salah and Liverpool may need to compromise
It’s seemed apparent for some time that while both Salah and Liverpool would be in favour of renewing his contract, the respective parties are nowhere near a consensus as to the terms of a prospective new deal.
The Egyptian may legitimately argue that the consistently high goal output which has made him the Reds’ third-highest scorer of all time merits a generous pay packet, while the club could have understandable reservations about committing to paying vast wages to a player who turns 33 in June.
Our number 11 is already on a basic wage of £350,000 per week before various bonuses kick in (Capology), and as highlighted by James Pearce in recent days, FSG face a balancing act between renewing existing contracts and granting Arne Slot ample funding for summer transfer activity.
If Salah and Liverpool are to reach an agreement, it looks as though it’ll necessitate a degree of compromise from both sides, with the club increasing their purported offer and the Egypt international settling for less than what he’s initially seeking.
It’d feel so wrong for such a generational player to be allowed to leave for nothing this summer purely because the relevant parties weren’t able to agree upon a new contract, so let’s hope and pray that everyone involved in the negotiations will reach a satisfactory middle ground so that the deal can be done.
