Mohamed Salah is currently delivering some of the finest performances of his career, and some of his most controversial statements too.
The Egyptian forward has been instrumental in Liverpool’s strong position in the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and domestic cups. However, off the pitch, Salah’s contract situation has reached a tense point, with negotiations showing little sign of progress despite Liverpool reportedly offering him what is said to be an exceptional deal.
Recently, Salah publicly admitted that he is not close to agreeing a contract renewal with the Merseyside club. Since then, it has been reported that there is an agreement in principle, but the primary obstacle in the negotiations process remains that the club is not seeing eye to eye with the Mo and his representatives over a clause about the player’s image rights.
“He’s throwing a hundred balls up and serving an ace with every one of them.”
Speaking on ESPN FC, commentator Craig Burley weighed in on the situation, claiming that Salah is using public statements to strengthen his negotiating position. “The Liverpool executives; they are lying on the floor at the moment,” said Burley.
He added, “They’re almost in tears because they’ve probably made this guy the most magnificent offer and he is screwing them to the ground. He doesn’t have to say anything. There’s a big game this weekend he could have let his representatives say yes or no behind the scenes.”
Burley continued, “He’s not serving the ball back over the net to Liverpool, he’s throwing a hundred balls up and serving an ace with every one of them. He’s holding Liverpool to a huge ransom at this moment so this is a very difficult scenario financially.”
Liverpool face a tough situation. Salah is already the highest-paid player in the club’s history and will likely demand a significant pay increase in any new deal. At the same time, the club must weigh this against the fact that Salah will turn 33 in a few months, despite not showing any signs of slowing down.
Complicating matters further, both Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are also nearing the end of their contracts. With the season entering a crucial phase, all eyes will be on how Liverpool resolve Salah’s contract standoff in the coming months.