Live News: Ultimate Liverpool deal ON and inching closer as Klopp goes all out for perfect young world class player
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool have altered their transfer strategy and cooled off their contingency plans following news a deal every Reds fan would love is there for the making, per a report.
Liverpool sit top of the table and are once again entrenched in a genuine title race. Jurgen Klopp’s side are greatly benefitting from their sweeping midfield rebuild that saw the likes of Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai arrive last summer.
Further reinforcements could arrive in the winter window, with ESPN previously reporting the club’s budget is around £40m. Liverpool have signed major names for roughly that figure in January before, such as Cody Gakpo (2023) and Luis Diaz (2022).
However, today’s update regards arguably the ultimate Liverpool objective – convincing Mohamed Salah to extend his stay on Merseyside and reject the Saudi Pro League.
The Egyptian winger, 31, remains one of the world football’s most potent attacking threats.
Salah is currently joint-top of the Premier League’s scoring chart this season with Erling Haaland (14 goals). Liverpool’s right winger is showing no signs of slowing down despite being the wrong side of 30 and has also racked up an impressive eight assists.
Salah was the subject of a gigantic £150m verbal offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad in the off-season.
Liverpool flatly refused to sell their star forward and any reignited attempts to prise Salah out of Anfield this month will also fail.
However, speculation has swirled Salah could be sold at season’s end. At that stage, Salah will be nearing his 32nd birthday and will also have entered the final year of his contract that expires in 2025.
The lure of collecting a colossal sum for a player with less than 12 months on his deal might be difficult for owners FSG to ignore.
However, the Athletic’s ultra-reliable David Ornstein suggested it’s not a guarantee that Salah leaves Liverpool in 2024.
Speaking in a Q&A in November, the journalist also hinted a contract extension is possible.
Asked if there were any new noises around a move to Al-Ittihad for Salah, Ornstein replied: “No, other than I don’t think it’s set in stone he goes.
“I’ve even had some suggestions he would quite like to stay and continue to compete at the highest level in Europe. It’s a major decision for player and club, of course.”
Salah news every Liverpool fan wanted
Now, according to online outlet Football Transfers, Liverpool have shifted their transfer stance after learning Salah is very much open to penning fresh terms.
The report comes by way of a joint effort with Anfield Watch and claims Liverpool had actively been sounding out wingers in the market who’d be signed as Salah’s replacement.
However, the Egyptian’s ‘openness to a contract renewal’ has prompted Liverpool to scale back their winger pursuit, with the focus now shifting to thrashing out a fresh agreement with Salah.
The report insists Salah is now ‘inching closer’ to signing a new deal that would keep arguably the world’s best winger in red for at least a few more years.
Such a development would no doubt be greeted with joy among the Anfield faithful. Losing a player of Salah’s calibre at a time when Liverpool are a genuine threat to add to their sole Premier League title would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Of course, significant funds would be generated and a replacement signed. But money simply cannot buy the type of impact Salah brings to Liverpool’s forward line.
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