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Liverpool must address Salah's future
Liverpool are facing a conundrum over the future of
Mohamed Salah this summer, sources told ESPN. There is a growing sense within the Liverpool squad that Salah is eyeing a new challenge elsewhere, and intermediaries who have worked closely with the club previously have privately expressed the belief that a transfer might be possible.
The situation will be influenced in part by how Liverpool finish the season, needing to stop an alarming slump in the Premier League yet chasing a third Champions League final appearance in four years. Sources added that the Reds are relaxed about the situation, given the 28-year-old's contract has two years left to run and there has been no obvious deterioration in the forward's form or commitment to the club, with Salah the joint leading scorer with Tottenham's Harry Kane in the Premier League this season with 17 goals.
Missing out on
Champions League qualification would increase financial pressures as a result of the coronavirus pandemic -- Liverpool earned €111m from the competition when they won it in 2019 -- with Jurgen Klopp's side seventh in the
Premier League, five points off the top four. Those pressures are also felt elsewhere, particularly at
Real Madrid and
Barcelona -- two possible destinations for Salah.
Liverpool face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Tuesday, and Salah was interviewed this week by Spanish newspaper Marca, where he left
the door open to playing in Spain. But it would represent an extensive effort by
La Liga's big two to raise the funds to tempt the
Egypt international away from Merseyside, given he would likely be worth in the region of £100 million. Barcelona and Madrid
are both keen on Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland and have held talks over a potential move for the striker, which would also limit Salah's options.
The dynamic would change if Salah pushed for a move, although there has been no indication so far that he will. Equally, there has been no indication the club will offer him a fresh contract, improving his £200,000-a-week wage.
Liverpool might look to defer the decision over Salah's future for another year, but he would then have 12 months left on his deal and would command a much smaller fee than he would this summer. A new Liverpool contract might be the best outcome for all parties, allowing the club to protect their star man, giving Salah the "love" he craves and granting his potential suitors another year to replenish their transfer funds.
Klopp is expected to dismiss talk of Salah leaving, but while the manager will no doubt fight to keep him at the club, the reality is more complex.
-- James Olley