Mohamed Salah is “increasingly likely” to leave Liverpool this summer as the Reds look to avoid losing the Egypt international on a free next year.
Salah has a little over 12 months left to run on the two-year contract extension he signed last April and Liverpool would be happier to cash in on the forward rather than let him see out his deal.
Salah was linked with January exit
Salah was heavily linked with a January Anfield exit after an explosive rant in the wake of Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds in December where he claimed he’d been “thrown under the bus” by the club.
“I can’t believe I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah said at the time. “The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why.
“It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.”
Salah later apologised to his teammates for his outburst and a January exit failed to materialise after the forward jetted off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt. The Pharaohs crashed out at the semi-final stage of the competition at the hands of eventual winners Senegal.
Salah ‘increasingly likely’ to leave this summer
Salah has come back into favour under head coach Arne Slot in recent weeks having started each of Liverpool’s last five league games, while he played a starring role in their 3-0 FA Cup win over Brighton having scored one and assisted another as the defending Premier League champions eased into the next round of the competition.
The 33-year-old has been directly involved in four goals across his last six outings, and means he has now scored four goals and laid on an additional six assists in England’s top tier this term. However, Salah has struggled to match last season’s exploits, where he netted 29 times in the league and finished the campaign with 18 assists to his name.
And a summer departure is “increasingly likely” according to BBC Sport, though that is dependent on whether Salah’s hefty wage demands can be met. The Reds star is reportedly the joint-highest paid player at the club, alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, who also signed a new Liverpool deal last year.
Salah has interest from a number of Saudi Pro League sides, while a stateside switch is also a possibility with MLS teams keeping tabs on the player’s situation. Conversely, reports last week suggested that Salah is happy to see out his contract with Liverpool if a suitable offer for both player and club doesn’t come in.
Reds dealt testing Champions League draw
Should Salah depart Anfield this summer, then he’ll be keen to do so with further winners’ medals around his neck. With their Premier League title defence in tatters, Liverpool are expected to prioritise cup competitions in order to rescue a doomed domestic campaign.
The Reds travel to Wolves twice next week, first in the Premier League for the midweek round of fixtures and then again in the FA Cup for their fifth round tie. Slot’s side have also been drawn against Galatasaray in the round-of-16 in the Champions League, which gives the Merseyside giants the chance to exact revenge upon the Turkish giants.
Galatasaray claimed a 1-0 win over Liverpool when the pair met in the league phase of the competition, with a first half Victor Osimhen penalty enough to separate the two sides in Istanbul.
Even so, Liverpool have been placed on the tougher side of the Champions League draw. The winner of their last-16 tie with Galatasaray will face either PSG or Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Liverpool looking to boost top-four hopes
Salah is expected to retain his starting spot for Liverpool’s welcome of West Ham on Saturday afternoon. Slot has overseen three wins from the last four league matches following last weekend’s late 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest.
A win against the Hammers would see Liverpool go level on points with rivals Manchester United in the race to secure a top-four finish. United are next in action on Sunday when they welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford.
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