Liverpool are gearing up for contract negotiations with Mohamed Salah – aiming to secure his continued tenure at Anfield, according to renowned journalist David Ornstein.
Ornstein claims that while the Reds had initially planned to initiate talks at the start of the new year, complications may arise, particularly with Salah’s involvement in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as he represents Egypt.
As of now, Salah has only 18 months remaining on his current contract, and there have been swirling rumours about a potential move to Saudi Arabia.
The 31-year-old was the subject of a verbal offer exceeding £100 million, coupled with substantial add-ons from the Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad, during the latter part of the summer transfer window. However, Liverpool firmly rejected this proposal.
Despite the persistent speculations, it seems that Liverpool are keen on retaining their star player.
The club are not only looking to extend Salah’s contract but also plans to engage in talks with defensive stalwarts Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The contracts of both Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are set to expire in the summer of 2025.
The collective aim is to secure the core players, including Salah, for the foreseeable future, showcasing Liverpool’s commitment to building a sustained and successful team.
In his latest Q&A for The Athletic, Ornstein said: “I don’t think there was any movement on this before the end of 2023, and to my knowledge, the plan was always to address it in the new year. We’re there now so I would imagine some conversations will get going in due course.”
“Even though January is expected to be a fairly quiet transfer window at Anfield, it’s not the easiest time to start transfer talks and in the case of Salah, he is busy focusing on AFCON. All three players are huge for Liverpool and that makes the situation massively important.
“It isn’t ideal for them to be approaching their final year, but Liverpool have managed contract situations really well in recent years and I don’t think there’s anything to suggest they won’t again here… albeit the football hierarchy has changed a little with the departures of Michael Edwards/Julian Ward and the arrival of Jorg Schmadtke.
“Naturally, given what happened last summer with Saudi, Salah feels like the most uncertain/unpredictable, but as I’ve said on here before, some have suggested to me that Salah still has the appetite to continue competing at the top level of European football with Liverpool, so a departure is not certain at all. Crucial times ahead.”
Mohamed Salah has 18 goals and nine assists in 27 appearances for Liverpool this season.
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