The future of Mohamed Salah is one of the more intriguing subplots as Liverpool’s bleak season draws to an end.
The Premier League title defence fizzled out in the new year. An uphill battle for the top four and Champions League qualification is all that remains in this underwhelming campaign. Everyone at Anfield has begun to look beyond May to imagine what comes next.
Salah is Liverpool’s most marketable asset. He is acutely aware that, because he turns 29 in June, he probably has just one big move left in his career.
The Egyptian has given two teasing interviews to the Spanish press in the past five months talking about the possibility of moving to La Liga, the most recent of which was conducted in the March international break. Goalscorers like Salah do not come on to the market very often. He should be a man in demand.
There are complications. The pandemic is likely to depress transfer fees in the summer. “We are going to see clubs reporting £100 million-plus losses because of Covid,” said David Bick, the chairman of Square 1 Consulting and a financial specialist who has been involved in a number of football takeovers. “Even the biggest clubs are feeling the pain.”
Manchester City posted losses of £126m ($173m) for 2019-20 last week. The teams who are able to afford Salah’s fee and wages may think again when they look at the bottom line.
There are other options for potential buyers. Three strikers are higher on the wish lists of the wealthiest clubs. Erling Braut Haaland is the prime target for this summer. The Borussia Dortmund forward is 20 and represents better long-term value.
Kylian Mbappe is also more desirable. The 22-year-old Frenchman is a likelier recruit for Real Madrid and Barcelona should he choose to leave Paris Saint-Germain.
Harry Kane also ranks above Salah in the view of potential buyers. The Tottenham Hotspur captain is a year younger and has a more impressive all-round game than the Liverpool man.
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The pool of big spenders is small. Real and Barca are both contending with fiscal problems. The Manchester clubs, City and United, could pull off a deal. PSG have money to burn but already have Mbappe. Chelsea might get involved but they spent more than £200m last summer and are well stocked with young talent up front. Salah’s options are very limited.
At the Anfield end, the club would consider a sale. Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owners, have cashed in on their stars in the past when rebuilding was necessary. They hope on Merseyside that the return of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson will solve the team’s problems and bring back the title-winning form. It may not be that simple.
Opponents have come to terms with Jurgen Klopp’s tactics. Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino no longer have lost the spark they displayed for the past two years. The side might need a serious overhaul.
RedBird Capital Partners acquired a £533m, 10 per cent stake in FSG last month but that money is invested across the owners’ portfolio. It will plug financial holes for the Boston Red Sox as well as Liverpool.
Anfield will be able to operate relatively normally during the summer, with resources available for the right players, but there will be no break from the policy of the club financing itself.
In the past, sales have paid for rebuilding. Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho were offloaded to Barcelona for big fees. A similar blockbuster deal for Salah would be considered.
Liverpool will only sell at the right price, though. They would expect upwards of £150m. Salah has two years left on his contract and now would be the ideal time to maximise his value in normal years. Covid-19 has made this year very different.
From Liverpool’s point of view, keeping Salah would not be the worst thing that could happen. He is joint leading goalscorer in the Premier League with Kane, having notched 19 times in the league this season, and has a remarkable record during his time at Anfield.
The Champions League quarter-final tie against Real was seen by many as an audition for the Egyptian. He scored in the 3-1 defeat in the first leg but missed a golden chance to bring Liverpool back into the tie early in the 0-0 draw at Anfield on Wednesday. That performance did him no favours.
Salah may not have the sort of personality that suits the Bernabeu. He has a great sense of his own status but it takes a certain type of character to thrive in the pressure cooker of Madrid. Eden Hazard has not risen to the challenge. Salah has more in common with the Belgian than, say, Cristiano Ronaldo, who took on the role of talisman with aplomb.
Circumstances could mean that Salah remains at Anfield next season. He would like to leave, Liverpool would likely sell but it may not be the worst thing for both parties if he stays put.
