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Liverpool are still yet to make any major breakthrough with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold when it comes to new contracts.
From the outside looking in, it seems Liverpool are still no closer to agreeing new contracts with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. As the latter himself recently admitted, anyone who claims to know what his future holds next year, is lying.
It seems a lot of the world has accepted the fact Trent Alexander-Arnold is on his way to Real Madrid once the season ends. However, a lot of signs have indicated the other two key players are eager to stay at Anfield, which is why frustrations have been bubbling over the lack of activity on the new deal front.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Liverpool Echo’s Blood Red podcast, Paul Gorst said he believes the ‘biggest issue’ with the potential departure of all three players is the lack of funds Liverpool will earn from their exits. He also theorised a fear Liverpool may have when it comes to sitting down and agreeing new terms with players like Salah and Van Dijk, who turn 33 and 34 respectively this year.
Liverpool could have fear over contract commitment, says Paul Gorst
Back in 2023, Saudi Arabia were offering £150 million and higher to try and sign Salah but the answer was always no. Now, there’s a huge risk he could move to the Pro League regardless, but this time for free.
“The biggest issue for me is Liverpool won’t get a fee for them,” Gorst said. “Liverpool aren’t really the sort of club who can happily lose one of their best players for nothing. I mean, what club can? But in terms of not having that money to reinvest, I think that will be the biggest blow for Liverpool, even though if he [Salah] does leave, they will be losing such a massive part of how they work.”
Despite frustrations over the idea of losing such key players for free, Gorst continued later in the show to suggest a main worry of the Reds, which other clubs may not have.
“I’ve got a general theory that Liverpool are terrified of waste in terms of signing contracts. Say, for example, Salah asks for three years, and they give him it but he only gives you two years at this level, and then for the third year it’s a bit of petering out at the age of 36 and Liverpool are still paying him what he’s on now, for example... I think they’re terrified of that as a prospect.
“Whereas maybe a club less risk-averse and with a different model would look at it differently in terms of this is what he’ll give you for two years, rather than you’ll have this year that will just be X amount of money down the pan essentially. I don’t know whether they’re thinking of it like that.”
Mohamed Salah Liverpool wage claim
There has been a lot of speculation over what it would potentially cost Liverpool in wages to keep Salah and Van Dijk on the books. With talks of Saudi clubs offering monumental salary packages, many jumped to the conclusion the duo would want this cash matching by the Reds.
However, according to journalist Tony Evans, both Salah and Van Dijk have ‘made it clear they don’t want a pay rise’ included in any new contract discussions and would be willing to stay at the club on the same wages.
“But I don’t think the club want to pay them the wages they’re on now,” he told talkSPORT’s Inside Liverpool show.
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