Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has suggested Liverpool could end up creating a fresh problem for themselves if they meet Mohamed Salah's demands over a new contract.
Liverpool's leading scorer has just over a year left on his current deal, and manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed the relevant parties remain in conversation over an extension. Nothing has been agreed yet, though, and the Reds boss has acknowledged his star man has been going through a tough period on the pitch.
A new deal worth in the region of £400,000 per week is said to be on the table, and the sum would make Salah's top earner and one of the highest-paid players in the world. However, Wenger - who has not taken a club management job since leaving Arsenal in 2018 - has urged caution.
"It sorts one problem out and creates another," Wenger said on beIN SPORTS. In addition to Salah's current deal expiring in 2023, Liverpool face the same situation with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
"You are sometimes in this position - you say I have to do the maximum to keep this player, knowing that other players are not far from him. But you have not enough money anymore to satisfy [the other players] because you have spent too much on this one.
"He... has had an exceptional season, Salah, and since he has come to Liverpool, every year he [has been] better, so he deserves his contract. The only thing is that, once they arrive to 30 years old, it's always 'how long do you sign them', because the best-paid are already over their peak."
Would a new deal for Salah create a problem, as Wenger says? Let us know in the comments section
While Salah is far and away the top scorer in the Premier League this season, his form since the turn of the year has been a little patchier. His 20 league goals still put him six ahead of his nearest challenger, and 28 goals in all competitions already represents the third-best single-season total of his career with plenty of time to add to the tally.
Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in February, though, he has scored just one league goal from open play. Furthermore, the last international break saw the former Basel star miss out on World Cup qualification, and Klopp has pointed to the challenges faced by Salah and his teammates after they racked up more air miles in March.
"It's a tough period," Klopp said after Liverpool beat Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Ibrahima Konate headed the Reds in front, with Mane and Luis Diaz also on target. "The boys came back from Africa, that's really not easy," Klopp added. "Massive pressure. They need some time to settle, everything will be fine."
