Liverpool tipped to 'break the bank' to secure deal for game-changing forward

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Liverpool under FSG are not renowned for throwing around vast sums of money, but they’ve been tipped to ‘break the bank’ in order to secure the services of a game-changing forward.

Mo Salah has now entered the final nine months of his contract at Anfield, and as it stands he’ll be free to negotiate with other clubs in January unless the Reds tie him down to a new deal before then.

Speaking to Football Insider, a former chief scout of Manchester United expects LFC to do just that, given the Egyptian’s ongoing importance to the team.

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Mick Brown said: “I think Liverpool will break the bank in their efforts to keep him. Of all the left-footed players who play on the right, he is the best by far. Liverpool without Mo Salah are not the Liverpool we have seen.

“He can change the game in a minute. If they’re struggling, they can get the ball to him and he’ll make something happen. He’s so important to the way the play.

“I would think they’d be desperate to keep him. They will be making every effort to tie him down to a new contract before they let him go to Saudi Arabia for nothing, I’m sure.”

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According to Capology, Salah is by far Liverpool’s biggest earner on £350,000 per week. For context, that’s almost twice as much as their third highest-paid player, Trent Alexander-Arnold with a weekly wage of £180,000.

With the Egyptian turning 33 just before his current contract ends next June, the wisdom of increasing his salary even further could be debated. In general, it wouldn’t make sense to have a footballer in their mid-30s earning a gargantuan amount.

However, when it comes to the Reds’ number 11, convention goes out the window. We’re talking about a player whose scoring returns only come along at Anfield once in a generation, if even that often.

Salah will decline eventually but there’s no sign of that happening any time soon. A rip-roaring start to this season has seen him rack up five goals and four assists in eight matches, making him Liverpool’s joint-top scorer and their largest provider of overall goal contributions (Transfermarkt).

Even with the formidable depth and quality that Arne Slot has among his forward options, the Egyptian King is still a cut above, and he’s done more than enough of late and over time to merit being handed a new contract. If he’s happy to stay, then LFC simply must tie him down to an extended deal.

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