Mohamed Salah is out of contract at the end of the season (Image: Getty)
Liverpool should brace themselves for the departure of Mohamed Salah following his public comments about his contract situation, says Harry Redknapp.
Salah’s current contract is set to expire at the end of this season and Liverpool have yet to table a new offer.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, the Egyptian has been in scintillating form this season, netting 13 goals and providing 11 assists in just 20 appearances across all competitions.
Liverpool turned down a £150million bid from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad for Salah in September 2023 and now face the prospect of losing him on a free transfer.
Like team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah will be able to negotiate with foreign clubs about a potential free transfer in the summer from January onwards, leaving Liverpool in a precarious position.
Last weekend, Salah confessed that he felt “more out than in” due to Liverpool’s apparent lack of urgency in securing his services.
Ex-Tottenham boss Redknapp believes Salah could be tempted by a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. “Even at 32, if you gave him a three-year contract next summer, he isn’t going to suddenly fall off a cliff with his fitness or his play,” he penned in his column for The Sun.
“But if I were in Arne Slot ‘s shoes, as his manager at Anfield, I’d be thinking that Salah is gone after this season, no matter what cryptic messages he puts out to muddy the waters over his future.
“If he hasn’t signed by now, then to me Salah is gone, despite those comments about the club not coming up with a new offer like he did.
“In some ways if he wins the Premier League title again with Liverpool this season, it seems like a fitting way to go out. You have to be honest and think to yourself that this uncertainty has been dragging on for so long now that it makes things even more certain. That he is leaving.”
After his brace in the stunning comeback against Southampton, Salah hinted at an Anfield exit, saying: “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.”
When asked if he is disappointed over the lack of an offer, Salah confirmed: “Of course, yeah.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1983383/Liverpool-Mohamed-Salah-contract