Mohamed Salah’s transfer position will be tested as Liverpool and Jürgen Klopp face the call in 2024
Opinion split:
Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah will not be sold this summer but Jürgen Klopp’s transfer question still looms. Two of our writers have their say.
Liverpool had enough work to do in the final week of the transfer window without a story about Mohamed Salah. But as the game against Newcastle United drew near, there was more talk of potential interest from Saudi Arabia.
Since the Public Investment Fund took over the top Saudi Pro League teams earlier this year, pumping them cash as part of a mission to attract some of the world’s best talent, a move for Salah seems inevitable. He remains an icon of Middle Eastern football and would represent a coup for the league at least on par with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
All make sense. Liverpool are still struggling after the latest wave of surprise transfer interest from Saudi Arabia and certainly won’t have time to replace one of their all-time greats in the squad. within the next few days, regardless of supply size.
But this question will definitely come back. Next summer, Salah will enter the final year of his contract with Liverpool, when he will be 32 years old. It would be surprising if Saudi Arabia did not attack again. Even if that doesn’t happen, Liverpool will face a decision when Salah’s contract comes to an end.
What if a big deal happens later and there’s enough time to come up with a succession plan? Our two Liverpool.com editors have had a say on what Liverpool should think and you can add yours in the comments section below the article.
“Keep Salah, even lose him for nothing” – David Comerford
I know that if Liverpool don’t capitalize on Salah next year, the club could lose him for nothing, with a new contract unsecured. I also accept that offers can be huge.
But I still can’t get over the thought of losing him in just 12 months. Unlike Fabinho and Jordan Henderson who moved to Saudi Arabia, Salah doesn’t really show any signs of slowing down. Given his physical condition, he should be able to maintain his excellent form for a few more years, just as we have seen with other elite strikers in Europe. Sign up for our EXCLUSIVE Liverpool.com newsletter!
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Even if there is no real prospect of an extension, I would still like to see him leave for free in 2025. Daniel Levy sold Harry Kane to Bayern Munich because he considered it an unthinkable outcome. yes, but Liverpool let some players terminate their contracts. because their contributions over the past year are considered more valuable than any transfer fee. You can’t really value Salah’s 25-30 goals.
Yes, you could potentially lose a large sum of money that you could use instead. But I wonder if Liverpool’s plan is to promote a young player for free in this position. It’s still early days, but Ben Doak looks to be one of the best teenage talents of the Klopp era, and if all goes to plan, he could be the Reds’ answer to Bukayo Saka.
‘Liverpool cannot completely pass up this opportunity’ – James Martin
Full disclosure:
I’m almost put in the role of the devil’s advocate here. I sincerely believe that there is a lot to think about at Liverpool, but my instinct is also to keep Salah. However, the arguments in favor of the sale deserve to be presented fairly, and I intend to do so.
It is necessary to look at Salah’s situation in the context of owning FSG. Ideally, Liverpool could keep the Egyptian at least until his contract expires, thus incurring large contracts and loss of transfer revenue. But under the club’s independent model, this would significantly limit new business.
Yes, Liverpool have applied this method with many top stars in recent times. But is it effective? Throwing away a lot of salary and keeping star players for perhaps a little too long, Klopp’s army is falling into stagnation. Of course, Salah is different. It looked like he could continue at a high level forever and his playstyle became apparent as he moved away from a rhythm-based game. But the offers made next summer will also be of a different size than those the FSG has handled before.
The rise of Saudi Arabia has fundamentally changed the situation. Liverpool are not talking about waiving a nominal fee:
Even next year, when Salah’s contract has 12 months left, FSG will surely get his money back and more. The opportunity may be too great to turn down.
