A fresh report casts new light on Liverpool’s active plans to ensure Mohamed Salah renews his contract after comments from Egypt’s Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi.
The 29-year-old will be out of contract next summer and a lack of a renewal has clouded Liverpool’s season as the uncertainty overshadows much of the excitement at the club.
Until he puts pen to paper on a new deal, fans are unsure how to feel about progress made as his potential departure could undo a lot of the hard work done over the last few years.
He’s a step above world-class and has been the best player on the planet at times this season but his recent international disappointments with Egypt have seen his form slump understandably.
Liverpool prepare final contract offer to Salah as stance set to become clearer
According to Kevin Palmer, writing for Sunday World, the Reds have been unwilling to offer more than £300,000-a-week and after suggestions made that the two parties were a long way apart in their financial demands, the club has not given up hope of keeping Salah.
The report reads: “There are suggestions from Liverpool insiders that they are preparing to make a final offer to Salah and his agent Ramy Abbas Issa, even though they are reluctant to move above the £300,000-a-week maximum salary on offer to their top stars.”
What Liverpool are ready to offer is an incentivised offer that would include “guaranteed payments and substantial bonuses based on the team’s success” but it’s unclear how receptive Salah and his agent would be to such an offer.
Keeping Salah beyond this summer is non-negotiable. The Egyptian absolutely has to be at the club next season regardless of what happens with his contract as Liverpool will not be able to replace his attacking output between now and the start of next season.
The only way that would be possible is if they signed someone like Kylian Mbappe or unearthed the next Salah in the same way they did in 2017 but that’s obviously an inherently risky approach given how far the former AS Roma forward has taken them.
Comments from Egypt’s Sports Minister underline Salah’s true desire
Ashraf Sobhi, Egypt’s Minister for Sport, appears to have confirmed that Salah intends to put pen to paper on a new deal with Liverpool but nothing is set in stone until he does.
“I met with Mohamed Salah at the airport after the end of the Senegal match and the failure to reach the World Cup finals and said to him to forget what happened and focus on what’s next,” Sobhi told Egyptian radio.
“I have advised him to continue his journey at a club other than Liverpool, but his direction now is to renew his contract with Liverpool.
“There are campaigns against Salah directed by some to bring him down, but I asked him not to pay attention to them.”