There is certainly cause for optimism around Mohamed Salah‘s talks over a new contract with Liverpool, with both parties claimed to be eager to extend.
The mood around Salah’s contract situation appears to have shifted in recent weeks, only aided by the Egyptian’s supreme form on the pitch.
As he continues to score and assist on a weekly basis, the No. 11 has made clear his love for Liverpool as a club and a city, while that has been reciprocated by the supporters.
• READ: Salah’s elite mindset shows why it’s imperative he signs new contract
With his deal due to expire at the end of the season, there is a growing pressure for an agreement to be reached – and while it may take a “compromise,” it is claimed that both Salah and Liverpool want that to be the case.
That is according to journalist James Pearce who, writing for The Athletic, explained: “Liverpool want to keep Salah and the player is keen on staying put.”
It is not as simple as that for a player who will turn 33 in the summer and is already the club’s highest-earning player on a basic wage of £350,000 a week.
“It comes down to whether both parties can agree a compromise in terms of the basic salary, the bonus structure and the length of the contract,” Pearce added.
A two-year contract on a similar wage is argued as the ideal scenario for Liverpool, but “if he wanted a significant pay rise or longer than an extra two years, then that’s a real dilemma.”
Rightly, Pearce noted that, if he was chasing money, Salah would push for a move to Saudi Arabia, while opportunities to hold his level among Europe’s elite will not be found at many clubs, with “doubts” he would join Paris Saint-Germain.
Salah is not the only player who is entering a crucial period of talks with just over six months remaining on his deal, of course.
Why talks have taken so long
Both Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold would be free to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season if no extension is finalised.
There has been a frustration among fans that Liverpool have been able to thrash out new contracts for three of their most important players, but Pearce gave a telling example of why that was never likely.
“Talks over Jarell Quansah’s extension spanned four months and that, on the face of it, was a relatively straightforward renewal,” he explained, with Quansah’s new deal announced in October.
“Getting Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold tied down is more complex.”
