Liverpool have reportedly ramped up contract talks with Mohamed Salah
Liverpool have reportedly ramped up contract talks with Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah appears to have been formally offered an initial contract offer by Liverpool just weeks after revealing his frustration with the pace of negotiations. The winger is keen to stay at Anfield, the ECHO understands.
Discussions with his agent Ramy Abbas, continue as the club attempts to come to a conclusion and extend Salah’s stay on Merseyside. Reports suggest though an initial offer has been tabled, it is unclear how Salah has responded to the terms.
It is furthermore uncertain how many years Liverpool have proposed, but the deal is generally tipped to be a short-term one with the player due to turn 33 in June. Fenway Sports Group are typically hesitant to offer substantial deals to ageing players, regardless of their status.
Related Articles
Mohamed Salah Liverpool contract update as Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold decisions made
Mohamed Salah Liverpool contract latest - first offer 'tabled', soft deadline, Arne Slot claim
However, there are thoughts that the needle might be moved to accommodate one of the club’s legends given his 15 goals and 12 assists in 21 matches this season. So, what length of contract should FSG be offering?
Is a one-year extension enough? Or is anything longer a risk given Salah’s age? Our writers give their thoughts.
Isaac Johnson
I think a two-year deal would be sufficient, or perhaps a year with the option of a further 12 months. That way, the Reds can hold value while not being tied down to a player on big wages should age catch up with him. Not that it necessarily will so quickly.
Salah’s diligence when it comes to diet, exercise and health will prolong his career for a good few years yet. The more pressing question is what level he can sustain in that long-run.
Because, FSG has always been just as diligent with its finances and does not boast the pits of money afforded to other Premier League owners. So I don’t think this can be a case of ‘give him what he wants’ but it should be a case of doing everything they can within their affordable FFP remit to keep Salah.
Dave Powell
While it might sound like a rather cold business-like way of looking at the future of one of the greatest players ever to pull on a Liverpool shirt, the reality is that the consideration will be how much they are willing to pay him for what he will deliver, not what he has delivered.
With that in mind, Liverpool will likely be looking to protect themselves from having to pay out huge wages for too long a period of time, especially in the face of concerns that exist for players approaching their mid-30s around loss of form or increased injuries.
There is little right now to suggest that Salah will suffer from such things, but frugal financial planning cares little for the here and now, and FSG's preference for less risk means that it will absolutely be a consideration.
But Salah wants to be paid what a man of his talents deserves, and that should be among the very highest in European football. The signs point toward a short-term deal, maybe one or two years. One with a high salary in year one, potentially heavily incentivised for any years beyond that.
What that does is protect the club as any bonuses would be paid at a time when the club had greater financial flexibility due to increased prize money, or that Salah would be meeting benchmarks set that Liverpool couldn’t replace elsewhere in the market. It would, importantly, be handing Salah what he wants, in addition to flexibility over where he may want to finish his career.
Bruna Reis
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah. (Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
Without a doubt, a player of the talent of Salah, deserves to be paid what he will demand. But at 32, I think Liverpool will need to play it safe and perhaps only offer him a one-year deal with a view to extending it to a further year depending on whether he can maintain that good form.
While the club should do everything in their power to keep the Egypt international, FSG must be sensible financially to avoid that from having an impact on their future transfer windows. With negotiations also underway for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, that will also have to be taken into account.
Matthew Abbott
Salah should receive at least a one-year extension with the option to extend that agreement by an additional year, if not a two-year deal with the potential for a third, to avoid the current situation repeating itself this time next year. Andy Robertson, Caoimhin Kelleher and Ibrahima Konate are currently approaching the final 18 months of their contracts, so adding Salah into that mix would leave the club in a similar predicament as they now find themselves in with him, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Salah signed a three-year deal in the summer of 2022, just after turning 30, so any subsequent extension is unlikely to exceed or even match that length, as the player will be 33 by the time it kicks in. But an agreement to take the Egyptian through to his 35th birthday sounds sensible, especially after overcoming the injury issues that prevented him from playing in over 50 matches for just the second season as a Liverpool player.
Richard Garnett
Mohamed Salah is currently playing out of his skin, but once the ink has dried on a new deal will he continue to do so? Without a crystal ball we can't be certain, but his overall record speaks for itself. How long he can maintain such stellar numbers is another question but the fact remains that Liverpool do not have anyone who can replace him on a like-for-like basis, but they probably need to start that process now.
Salah's astonishing condition and hunger to play at the top level, combined with his unwavering professionalism means that offering him a two-year contract is fair, even if the club only got one more season out of him where he was able to deliver the numbers we have come to expect from him.
The suggestion of a second year being on reduced terms is an understandable one but if he starts to fade there is always the option of selling him before the deal is done to recover the outlay! Give him the two-year deal he deserves and watch how he repays the faith placed in him.
Kieran Horn
Mohamed Salah is currently in excellent form and it now seems inevitable he will remain at Anfield for the foreseeable future, but for exactly how long remains to be seen. At 32, it would be fair of Liverpool to not offer him a new long-term contract with a significant pay increase, however he does not appear to be slowing down.
Despite his age, Salah's numbers continue to be superb and for exactly that reason, he may feel as though he deserves both of those things. Considering he is currently playing for his future, the current levels he is hitting may not continue once he agrees on a new deal.
However, that can only be known with the beauty of hindsight. What we do know however, is that his contributions in front of goal are the main reason Liverpool are favourites to win the Premier League title and I think because of that, the power in negotiations is certainly with Salah.
A two-year contract does seem like a fair reward for his services and with that a lucrative pay increase.