Liverpool manager Michael Edwards has told Mo Salah that he will not stop him from leaving Anfield this summer if the Egyptian superstar decides he wants to leave, and a BBC commentator has revealed the shocking new cost required to win his services.
The 31-year-old is regarded as one of Liverpool’s best-ever signings, having cost just £36.9 million when he joined from Roma in the summer of 2017. Salah has scored an incredible 210 goals in 343 games, ranking third on the club’s all-time best goalscorers list and contributing significantly to the Reds’ success under Jurgen Klopp.
While Salah’s importance to Liverpool cannot be overstated – he is still widely regarded as the club’s most influential player – his contract at Anfield is set to expire in the summer of 2025, leaving the Reds with a major decision to make this summer.
Currently the club’s highest-paid player at £350,000 per week, Liverpool would certainly need to equal or possibly exceed that price if they were to prolong his stay this summer, given the high demand for his talents.
Saudi Arabia has expressed a significant interest in purchasing Salah, with Al Ittihad making no secret of their ambition to make the Egyptian the next high-profile arrival, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
However, with Salah regarded as the “greatest Muslim player of all time,” it is understandable that the Gulf State would love to have the Reds hero as their new poster boy. Simply put, the 31-year-old is idolised in the region.
Liverpool superstar likely to join Klopp in quitting
Indeed, Al Ittihad are apparently willing to pay Salah a salary beyond his wildest fantasies, with estimates indicating a £127 million per year contract on the table. With a weekly salary of £2.4 million, which dwarfs anything Liverpool could give, it’s simple to see why Salah would be tempted to depart.
The Saudi Pro-League’s director of football, Michael Emenalo, told Sky Sports last year that Salah is a star they’d like to sign.
“Mo Salah, like [Lionel] Messi, [Karim] Benzema, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, these are players that when there is a sense of availability for them, we are willing to listen,” he added.
“But we also understand that Mo is content with his current situation at Liverpool, which is a great and wonderful club. We appreciate that and do not want to appear to be placing any pressure on him.
“But if there is any interest to do something, Mo Salah is a player that you want in your league, in any league.”
Indeed, Liverpool rejected Al Ittihad’s £150 million approach for Salah last summer at Klopp’s request.
However, with the German poised to leave this summer, the likelihood of Salah following him out the Anfield exit door is becoming more likely.
And, with his deal nearing a key juncture this summer, reports are circulating that Edwards will not stand in his way if the Egyptian thinks it is time to take on a new challenge abroad.
Mo Salah: Edwards ready to authorize sale as new price is announced.
In an update on the issue, columnist Clinton Morrison has explained why he expects Salah to leave and says the man who brought him to Anfield in the first place, Edwards, will consider a big-money offer for the ageing star as too good to pass up.
However, rather than breaking the world record value of €222 million (£198 million) established by Neymar’s move to PSG in summer 2017, Morrison has told BBC Radio Five Live that a £100 million offer is likely to be sufficient.
“They are trying to make the Saudi league grow and having Salah there will will go to another level,” Morrison told the BBC.
“They’ve brought in players like Ronaldo and Neymar. Salah, as you correctly pointed out, is 31 years old.
“Neither Liverpool fans nor the next management want to lose Salah. His numbers playing from the right side are incredible. His figures are outrageous.
“Will they be able to find a guy who can do what Salah does?
“But he is getting to that age where if you get over £100m for him, I can see him leaving this summer.”
Any monies generated by Salah’s sale will be immediately reinvested in squad strengthening, with another attacking signing to replace Salah likely to be near the top of that list.
Ruben Amorim is presently the favourite to succeed Klopp at Anfield, and the Sporting CP coach is expected to make a €100 million deal as the first of his reign, revolutionising their strikeforce.
“Will they be able to find a guy who can do what Salah does?
“But he is getting to that age where if you get over £100m for him, I can see him leaving this summer.”
Any monies generated by Salah’s sale will be immediately reinvested in squad strengthening, with another attacking signing to replace Salah likely to be near the top of that list.
Ruben Amorim is presently the favourite to succeed Klopp at Anfield, and the Sporting CP coach is expected to make a €100 million deal as the first of his reign, revolutionising their strikeforce.
