Liverpool’s hopes of extending Mo Salah’s contract at Anfield have taken what appears to be a dramatic downturn after an interview emerged in which he admitted he is now open to offers elsewhere – though TEAMtalk can explain exactly why fans should have no major reason for concern.
The talismanic Egyptian attacker is the most influential player at Liverpool, having scored a colossal 227 goals and added another 100 assists in his 372 appearances so far – giving him a goal contribution every 1.13 appearances in club colours. But with his current arrangement expiring at the end of the current season, the 32-year-old is eligible to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with an overseas side of his choosing from
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And with that deadline approaching quickly and now just 13 days away, Liverpool supporters may have reason to fear that their star man could depart Anfield as a free agent.
Salah‘s intentions though have always been to renew on Merseyside, where the player has openly admitted he is happy and content and loves both the area, the club and their supporters.
However, agreeing on terms has not been a straightforward process and, while talks were reported earlier this week to be advancing and getting close to seeing an agreement reached, a video has since emerged in his native Egypt where the player confesses that he is open to leaving and having blown open the possibility that a move away from Merseyside could be on the cards after all.
In the interview, which appeared on Yallakora’s Instagram page, Salah was asked about what his plans are for 2025 and whether he will still be a Liverpool player beyond the current campaign.
And his response may certainly give some cause for alarm when he replied: “I don’t know yet; my contract expires at the end of the year, so I still don’t know what will happen. I’ll look at my options, but I haven’t made a decision yet.”
Why Liverpool should not be too concerned by Salah video
While the video will understandably provoke some concern, a deeper look into the article, which has only just been signposted by several UK-based outlets, shows that the article actually went live on December 8.
At that time, Salah has been quite vocal in expressing his opinion on those negotiations with Liverpool, opening up to a number of media outlets about those talks and having even admitted at the back end of November in a stunning revelation that he was “more out than in” as far as his future at Anfield was concerned.
With the player carefully turning the screw on Liverpool and upping the ante with several craftily-released interviews, the player’s actions drew criticism from Jamie Carragher, who branded the player “selfish” for both going public on those negotiations and for the timing of them, especially amid what was a key run of fixtures for the club as they prepared for big games against Real Madrid, in the Champions League, and Manchester City in the Premier League.
Since then, the situation has also appeared to change quite dramatically in Liverpool’s favour. Sources have indicated to TEAMtalk that, while the player does have offers to leave and will not be short of admirers were a free-transfer exit to be confirmed, his preference has always been on renewing at Anfield.
Furthermore, reports over the last couple of days have strongly indicated an agreement is closer than ever to being ironed out, with John Henry’s intervention key and with the player having reportedly said ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to eight potential suitors.
Talk that an agreement with Liverpool was also imminent was further substantiated by Premier League legend Sergio Aguero, who claimed he’d heard that Salah had agreed a new two-year deal – taking the player close to his 35th birthday – and with an announcement due to be made public before Christmas.
Per the article, the Reds are yet to receive an answer from the player, though it is hoped the latest offer would convince him to sign and exterminate the lingering threat posed by Real Madrid.
Were Alexander-Arnold to leave, Liverpool have quite rightly been doing their due diligence on several potential replacements.
And a report on Wednesday revealed that Arne Slot has now crossed Jeremie Frimpong’s name off his wishlist and would instead focus on four other options – and with a Chelsea star believed to be right at the top of his wishlist.
Elsewhere, Liverpool have been urged to ‘cut their losses’ on big-money striker Darwin Nunez and replace him with a Premier League star who ‘always scores’ against them.
