Mohamed Salah has given ‘positive input’ to a potential transfer to Barcelona, as his Liverpool contract renewal hits the buffers.
That comes from AS, who claim that Salah is Barcelona’s second-choice target for the summer, should they fail to land Erling Haaland.
According to the report, Liverpool’s number 11 is keen for a change of scenery after five years with The Reds.
Barcelona are reportedly willing to offer between £50m and £60m for the player, due to his contract running out in 2023.
A weird weekend for Mo
This comes after a tumultuous weekend for Salah. Following a cryptic Twitter message from his agent on Friday afternoon, reports then circulated that there had been no contract talks with Liverpool since December.
With Mo reportedly refusing Liverpool’s offer, the club haven’t yet come back to him with an improved revision. This has inevitably led to intense speculation over the Egyptian’s future.
Despite the furore, Jurgen Klopp stuck Salah in his starting eleven for the weekend’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion. The 29-year-old looked out of sorts but did eventually manage to score a penalty to settle the game for Liverpool.
He was then forced off with a foot injury which looks like it could rule him out of tomorrow’s game against Arsenal.
Speculation intensifies
Obviously any news of this nature will not be well received by Liverpool fans. Salah is a club icon and continues to be one of the true symbols of the Jurgen Klopp era.
His form this season has led many to hail him as the best player in the world, and at times it has been hard to make a case otherwise.
To some, the failure to offer Mo the terms that he is asking for will be seen as an act of betrayal from the club’s owners. Having been a huge part of the recent success of the team, many fans believe he should be given a new contract no matter what.
But the fact is that Liverpool aren’t run that way. FSG don’t have the resources that clubs of similar stature have and it’s difficult to envisage a scenario where they deviate from a business plan that has been so successful to them.
As a result, something has to give. It’s unthinkable that Salah will enter the last year of his contract and potentially leave the club on a free in 2023. This is a situation that needs resolving this summer.
However, in all of the uncertainty, one thing is for certain. There’s absolutely no way that Barcelona are getting Mohamed Salah for anything like £60m.
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