Mohamed Salah has reportedly offered himself to Barcelona with less than four months to run on his Liverpool contract. The Egyptian is making Reds bosses sweat on his club future as he powers towards the end of a scintillating individual season, which could yet be capped by multiple silverware triumphs.
If Salah went into this campaign hoping to play his way into one last lucrative Liverpool deal, he could not have done much more. The 32-year-old has racked up three times as many Premier League goals and nearly three times as many assists as his nearest Liverpool team-mates. But as yet there has been no announcement about an extension to his current contract.
According to Sport, the wheels of a potential Anfield exit are turning behind the scenes. The Spanish news outlet claim that he has 'offered himself' to Barcelona following contact between the two parties at the end of last year.
There are obvious difficulties in the cash-strapped Catalan side forking out for Salah's massive wages. But 'the file has been opened again' to explore the possibility of a blockbuster move to one of Europe's most famous sides.
Unsurprisingly, Barcelona are not the only club positioning to pounce on Salah if he decides to call time on his Merseyside chapter. Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal are also in the equation, and the report adds that an 'advanced offer' from them remains on the table.
Talk of a £42million-per-season pay packet is leagues ahead of what Barca or Liverpool would be willing to offer a player who turns 33 in June. But Salah's form is making it impossible for interested parties not to pull out all the stops.
He could be one of three high-profile Liverpool exits this summer, with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also approaching the end of their contracts. Manager Arne Slot will be desperate not to lose all three in the same window as he aims to cement the Reds' status as the team to beat.
The Dutchman has acknowledged that Salah's sparkling form has upped the stakes in the Liverpool boardroom. "You can say the better he does the more expensive he might become and if he did worse we would have second thoughts to extend his contract," Slot explained.
"For everyone it is best that he brings in the performances he does now; maybe only for the one who has to pay him it is not the best. He needs to have these performances for him to play here and hopefully to extend here."