Despite claims that Paris Saint-Germain are in talks with Mo Salah over a potential free transfer, the Ligue 1 club have already denied that is the case.
Salah offered another reminder of his enduring brilliance during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Man City, before another reminder of his uncertain future post-match.
“That was in my head. This is, up until now, the last City game I play for Liverpool [at Anfield], so I’m just going to enjoy it,” he told Sky Sports after his goal and assist.
• READ: Salah is inevitable – 5 talking points from Liverpool 2-0 Man City
With every game gone, the importance of retaining Salah beyond his current deal is made even clearer, but as it stands there has been no breakthrough in talks with Liverpool.
The Egyptian would be free to announce a pre-contract agreement with any club outside of England from January 1, and it has been claimed he has held talks with PSG.
However, according to L’Equipe, PSG have already denied that they are in contact with the 32-year-old.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 13, 2023: Ramy Abbas Issa, football agent for Liverpool's Mohamed Salah seen before the FA Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Instead the Paris club are reportedly of the belief that Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, has used them as a means to put pressure on Liverpool.
Salah has made it patently clear that his desire is to stay at Anfield, but it is expected that a compromise would need to be found in negotiations over either or both of his wages and the length of any new deal.
Say, for example, the No. 11 requested his current basic salary of £350,000 per week on a three-year term, Liverpool may be reluctant to commit such an outlay for a player who would be 36 by the time that contract expired.
A hypothetical compromise may be the same wage but on a two-year agreement, perhaps with an option for the club to then extend that by a further 12 months.
Why use PSG’s name?
PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday, August 11, 2021: Lionel Messi signs for Paris Saint-Germain Football Club from FC Barcelona, pictured at the Parc des Princes. (©PSG)
By bringing PSG into the fold there could be an emphasis on the club agreeing terms sooner, bowing to the pressure of a possible free transfer being agreed next month.
They are, after all, one of few genuinely realistic destinations for the forward, whose age, status and salary demands make him off-limits for most clubs.
But PSG’s swift rebuttal suggests that, as with Salah’s comments to the press in recent weeks, this is all part of the dance as the player and his agent seek the best deal possible at Liverpool.
It is a delicate situation with all parties tussling for power in negotiations – the only hope for fans is that it reaches a positive conclusion sooner rather than later.