Liverpool icon John Aldridge has opined on Mohamed Salah’s contract situation, insisting the Egyptian could quit if the club fails to reach an agreement.
Liverpool are inching closer to Manchester City in the Premier League title race and have advanced into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. While they are the standout example of a team playing together, much of the credit should be reserved for Mohamed Salah for the tremendous season he has been having.
The Egyptian forward has been an exemplary performer since he joined Liverpool, winning the Premier League and Champions League titles during his time at Anfield. But a battle has been brewing between the Liverpool talisman and the club over a new contract for the winger in recent months.
While Liverpool have been urged to hand Salah a new contract, the club are not caving into Salah’s demands. The Egyptian wants parity with the highest earners in the Premier League and has asked for £400,000-a-week in wages. The Reds are unwilling to table such a deal, with their recent offer being well below the asking amount.
Hence, Salah remains uninterested in accepting the latest offer on the table, as the Egyptian stands firm over his demands. With his current contract expiring in 2023, there is a chance that the forward will leave Liverpool in the upcoming summer transfer window.
John Aldridge has now opined on the contractual situation, insisting Salah could leave the club if both parties fail to agree on new terms. The Liverpool icon expressed his views in his column for the Liverpool Echo, as he gave a lengthy explanation of the saga.
Aldridge said, “If he’s going to go and wants to go, Liverpool have to sell him in the summer. You can’t allow the 12 months on his deal to run down because we need to use that money to replace him. But how do you replace someone who scores 30 goals a season? It isn’t easy.”
“It is a really tricky one, and I can see both sides of the argument. You’re talking about Man United keeper David De Gea, who reportedly earns a figure in the region of £400,000 per week, and Ronaldo on £500,000 – does Salah then warrant £350,000 per week? He probably has an argument for that.”
“He wants what is across the board, and I can see that. That’s where the problem lies. If Liverpool can’t afford it or don’t want to change the wage structure, he will have to go. He will think he is as good as De Gea and the other top earners, but will he take a hit because he loves Liverpool? His agent won’t want that, but it’s about what Mo wants.”
Only time will tell if either party will cave in and come together to extend their union. As things stand, Salah faces an uncertain future at Liverpool, with the Reds scrambling to tie their talisman down to a bumper new contract.
Mo Salah have to stay