Mohamed Salah U-turn, £150m transfer bid and message to Liverpool amid contract saga

Arne Slot is facing mounting pressure to secure a new contract for Mohamed Salah before it’s too late. The 32-year-old Egyptian has been a key figure at Anfield since his move from Roma seven years ago, playing a pivotal role in Liverpool’s first Premier League title win in the 2019/20 season and their Champions League victory the previous year.

Despite nearing the end of his career, Salah continues to prove his worth in the Premier League. Under Slot, Salah has netted 10 goals and provided six assists in just 12 Premier League matches, bringing his total tally to an impressive 223 goals and 99 assists in 367 games across all competitions.

However, with his contract due to expire at the end of this season, there has yet to be any news of a new deal from Slot or the Liverpool hierarchy. This isn’t the first time Salah’s future at Liverpool has been uncertain. In the summer transfer window of 2023, Al-Ittihad made a staggering £150million bid for the star on deadline day, only for Liverpool to reject it outright.

Meanwhile, throughout 2021, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and PSG were all reportedly keeping tabs on Salah prior to his last contract extension with Liverpool. While Salah has previously hinted at the possibility of playing for one of the La Liga giants “one day”, there were also rumours that he was contemplating a “dream” move to PSG, reports the Mirror.

Salah’s hesitation over renewing his contract with Liverpool, which was due to expire in 2023, eventually reached a turning point. Barcelona had eyed the Egyptian for a free transfer last summer should he have seen out his contract, but Salah made a change of heart, opting to stay with the Reds by signing a lucrative new deal.

However, if negotiations for an updated contract fall through this time round, Salah is set to be eligible to engage with other clubs from January onwards. Given his consistent goal-scoring prowess in one of footballs toughest leagues, hes unlikely to struggle in attracting interest from major clubs.

Contradicting sentiments surfaced when Salah confessed he feels “more out than in” at Liverpool, emphasising his deep affinity for the club and desire to continue his career at Anfield. He elaborated on his situation: “We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club. I’m probably more out than in.

“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.”

Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, slammed Salah for his public remarks on contract negotiations, deeming them self-centred. Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher said: “Right now there’s obviously a big difference in the valuation.”

He noted the disparity between what Salah and his representatives hold as their value, financially and in length of contract, compared to Liverpool’s stance. Carragher also claimed that talks are ongoing because any offer by Liverpool at this stage would likely be rejected by Salah, and while he is eager for a compromise to be reached, he expressed disappointment with the Egyptian star.

Carragher criticised Salah further: “The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That is more important than any of those players, and if he continues to put comments out or his agent keeps putting cryptic tweets out, that’s selfish, that’s thinking about themselves and not the football club.”

Salah is not alone in facing contractual uncertainty at Liverpool; both skipper Virgil Van Dijk and defender Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contracts are due to lapse in 2025. There’s talk of Van Dijk seeking an extension until 2027, whilst Alexander-Arnold is rumoured to be in Real Madrid’s crosshairs given right-back Dani Carvajal’s ongoing recovery from an ACL injury.