PSG denies rumors
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This article was published on December 2nd at 9:38 a.m. and was subsequently updated following the 5th paragraph as a result of new information.
With a goal and an assist, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (32) once again underlined his outstanding form in the top game against Manchester City (2-0) on Sunday. The Egyptian is the best scorer in the Premier League with 18 goals in 13 games. However, it is increasingly questionable whether Salah will continue to storm for the Reds beyond the season.
“To be honest, it was in my head that today I was probably playing my last home game for Liverpool against City,” Salah said openly on the Sky Sports microphone after the game. “It was incredible. I enjoy every second here. Hopefully we’ll just win the league and then see what happens.” The attacker, who with a market value of 55 million euros is one of the most valuable players with an expiring contract, had recently made it clear that he had not yet received any offers from Liverpool for an extension to have.
The Athletic portal reported on Monday, after speaking to several anonymous sources, that Salah would also accept a new one-year contract at Anfield, but that he was becoming increasingly annoyed with his club’s handling of negotiations. The Egyptian offensive man, who was disgruntled because of the slow pace, has not yet had any discussions with other interested parties. But that would change from January 1st – six months before his contract expires.
Salah’s priority is to stay at LFC beyond the summer. However, the veteran considers himself one of the best players in the world and would like this status to be taken into account in the new contract. Salah last extended his working paper for three years in 2022. That same deal reportedly made him the highest-earning professional in the Reds’ history, with a base salary of around 420,000 euros per week.
As “L’Équipe” previously reported, a source familiar with the situation says that Paris Saint-Germain has been considering a commitment for some time and is in talks. Now there is a good chance that Salah, who knows club boss Nasser Al-Khelaïfi personally, will end up in the Prinzenpark. However, the club denied the information. The PSG officials would see this as a strategy on the part of the players to put pressure on Liverpool for extra time. However, the newspaper emphasizes that it has already happened that Paris denied a report and the player ended up signing.
Update December 3rd, 2:21 p.m.: On Tuesday, Al-Khelaïfi personally commented on Salah’s personality. “He is a fantastic and amazing player but we never considered him to be honest. We know that every club would like to have him, but this rumor about us is simply not true,” he said on Sky.
Salah also in demand in Saudi Arabia
If a club wants to sign Salah, they have to agree to the salary expectations, which should be well over 20 million euros per year. As a free transfer player, in addition to the salary, any bonus money would flow directly into the books, while in the case of a transfer with a transfer fee, the sum can be written off over the term of the contract. For several months there have been efforts from the Saudi Pro League to convince Salah to change – despite astronomical sums of money so far without success.
Even though Salah spoke openly about his departure, he also emphasized his great loyalty to Liverpool. “Anfield is very special. As I said before: I don’t take this for granted. I enjoy every minute here. It feels like home. It’s always a special feeling to score and win at Anfield,” he said after the success in the top game – so the farewell doesn’t seem to be entirely set in stone.
