€60m Diaz deal 'signals' Liverpool will 'continue to play hardball' over '£400k-a-week' talks - FSG playing with fire

Liverpool supporters are delighted with the signing of Luis Diaz but will be furious with FSG when they learn the owners have no intention of taking any new action over Mohamed Salah's contract.

The Boston-based owners deserve credit for backing Jurgen Klopp when the moment came to sign Diaz. Spurs pounced on the Colombian but given Liverpool's long-term interest in the forward and his preference for Anfield, it's a no brainer to sign him.

Yet, a €60million outlay is often a hard sell to higher-ups in January even with pre-approval ahead of the summer. However, Liverpool and FSG have shown how well-greased their transfer operations are with how quickly they swooped for the 25-year-old.

FSG risk their Liverpool legacy with Mohamed Salah contract talks

My warning to the Americans is this. If they let Salah leave, it could spell the end of their time on Merseyside as supporters may never again lend them their backing if they don't give their backing to the greatest Premier League forward this club has ever seen.

Mohamed Salah has done everything you could possibly expect from an attacking signing since he joined Liverpool in 2017 when AS Roma received a £34.3million payment in exchange for his services.

I mean, in his first season at the club he broke and set the Premier League record for goals scored in a single 38-game campaign when he scored 32 times and he could do it again this season if he returns to Merseyside in hot form.

Yet, if FSG sell him in the summer or let him leave on a free transfer when his contract is up, I fear they will alienate the vast majority of the fanbase as they will be sending a very worrying message to the rest of Europe's top players.

According to the Mirror, "Diaz’s arrival signals that Liverpool will continue to play hardball with Mo Salah over the Egyptian’s demands for £400,000-a-week to sign a new contract."

That message is: "Come to Liverpool but regardless of how many goals you score, how well you do, how many trophies you win and how important you are to this organisation, we will not match your value even if it's more expensive to replace your contributions."

Replacing Mohamed Salah is more expensive and risky than matching wage

Even if Mohamed Salah's £400,000 per week wage demands extrapolate to £20.8m per year, that's still cheaper and less risky than trying to replace his contributions to this Liverpool team.

Let's be honest. Who can Liverpool afford to replace him with? Kylian Mbappe? Certainly not. Erling Haaland? No. Dharmesh Sheth just reported it will cost £250million to sign the Norwegian.

Beyond those two, there aren't many forwards out there with the longevity and output to match Salah. Even Lionel Messi is showing signs that he might not be able to maintain his ludicrous levels.

FSG need to match Salah's demands otherwise they not only risk losing the best player in Europe but they risk losing the best fans in the world and the best club on the planet.