As the days, weeks and months begin to roll by, it seems with increasing likelihood that Mohamed Salah will not be a Liverpool player past his current contract.
Negotiations between the club and his representatives have been going on for the best part of a year now, with no resolution in sight. From both parties’ perspectives, it has been the case for a while of who blinks first.
Fresh reports have emerged claiming that Liverpool are braced for Salah to leave the club as a free agent next summer. According to The Mirror, Liverpool have “gone as far as they can” with their latest contract offer, without smashing their current wage structure.
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It has also been claimed that Liverpool do not see Salah and his representatives seeking out a compromise, meaning he is increasingly likely to leave for nothing in a year’s time. Additionally, the report says that despite the contract stand-off, Liverpool do not expect Salah’s standards to drop for the upcoming campaign.
It’s hard to be surprised by this piece of gossip, which we must first say until anything certain appears which almost certainly won’t happen. If these negotiations were going to be straight forward, then they would have been completed a long time ago.
As it is, Liverpool are now facing an unthinkable scenario of letting two of their most important players leave within 12 months of each other. Let’s not forget, Sadio Mane is on his way to Bayern Munich this summer.
Granted, Liverpool are receiving a decent fee for Mane, which would not be the case at all for Salah were he to depart next year. Regardless, it’s still an frightening thought that Liverpool could be without both Salah and Mane in a year’s time.
The arrival of Darwin Nunez and the impressive nature of Luis Diaz’s settling in period will hopefully leave Jurgen Klopp and the club's hiercahy feeling at ease that Liverpool’s future is in safe hands. Even so, it’s still arguably the biggest gamble the club could take letting Salah go for nothing.
Remember, Liverpool are done with their transfer business this summer, meaning the new midfielder that everyone seems to want will have to wait until next year. Whichever player the club targets, it will not be cheap.
And what are the club going to do if Salah leaves, not replace him? That would be even worse than letting him go for nothing in the first place.
Another dip into the transfer market would be needed, and a player that is anywhere close to Salah’s ability would cost a sizable amount of money. The summer of 2023 could well be a defining period for Klopp and this era of the Liverpool team.
It’s also worth remembering that Roberto Firmino is also out of contract next summer. Within a year, it’s possible that the famous front three that has defined a generation at Anfield could be gone within the space of 12 months.
Big decisions lie ahead of Klopp, sporting director Julian Ward, and Liverpool as a club.
