Mohamed Salah is now reportedly “closing in” on a new Liverpool contract to extend his stay at Liverpool, at long last!
Multiple reports on Wednesday afternoon from reliable reporters have stated that Salah, like Virgil van Dijk, is now close to extending his stay at Anfield.
The Times‘ Paul Joyce reports that “there is a growing expectation that a new deal will be struck with Salah,” in a major boost for the club as we near the end of the season.
• READ: Mo Salah turned down Saudi offers as new Liverpool contract details emerge
It follows on from journalist David Ornstein stating deals for the Egyptian and Virgil van Dijk are now a matter of ‘when rather than if‘.
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Joyce states that “sources in his homeland indicate that an accord is now close,” with sporting director Richard Hughes having led discussions with Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa.
After a breakthrough in talks with Virgil van Dijk, the Mail‘s Lewis Steele has also reported that a renewal is “closer than ever” for Salah.
He adds, “no details are known on Salah’s potential new deal but sources suggest a two-year extension seems most likely.”
If so, it would see the Egyptian’s future tied up at Anfield until 2027 which will take him to 10 years at the club, by which point he will be turning 35.
Interestingly, Steele notes that “a contract offer has been on the table for some time” but Salah “wanted a better deal,” hinting that he has ultimately accepted the club’s terms in order to stay.
With the mood having dipped despite Liverpool’s position at the top of the table, the latest reports on contracts for Van Dijk and Salah are a huge boost for the club and supporters.
While nothing has been signed just yet, the end is finally in sight after months and months of speculation regarding the futures of two of Liverpool’s most reliable and important players.
Salah has scored 32 goals this season, his best tally since his debut campaign when he netted 44 for the Reds in 2017/18.
He also has 22 assists, which is his best return by some margin, showing his playmaking qualities as his game adapts.
‘Liverpool have bought themselves time’
Sam Millne (@sam_millne)
Van Dijk and Salah will remain key figures in the starting XI. It does have to be acknowledged, though, that they are 33 years old and 32 years old respectively.
While the Dutchman’s playing style and the Egyptian’s outstanding fitness are both mitigations against their age, time catches us all eventually and it will be interesting to see how the pair are fare in the final months of their next contract.
While the clock will ultimately become inescapable for the senior duo, Liverpool have bought time when it comes to planning for their successors.
It is an impossible job to replace Salah on the right, but an extra year or two does give Liverpool scope to develop their plan to accommodate their eventual departures.
While Van Dijk and the Egyptian are both expected to be just as prominent next year as this, they could begin to be used more sparingly as their contracts run down again.
Hopefully, Liverpool are proactive and use the time gained to sign players who can step into their shoes upon their eventual exits, whenever that may be.
The Reds now have two summers to recruit in defence and attack which would allow the incomers time to bed into the club, rather than expecting them to hit the heights of their seniors from the very start.
The job of stepping into Salah and Van Dijk’s shoes isn’t an easy one, but Liverpool have now given themselves a head start in finding the best solutions.
They also have a better bargaining position, as the Reds would have faced sky-high prices with opposition clubs knowing they needed replacements quickly. That scenario could now be avoided.
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