Liverpool sources insist Mo Salah contract talks “positive” and “remain ongoing”

Despite Mohamed Salah‘s latest comments on being “disappointed” at not being offered a new contract yet, Liverpool sources insist ongoing talks are “positive.”

Salah shocked supporters after the 3-2 win over Southampton when, in quotes released on Monday morning, he declared himself “probably more out than in” next season.

This comes with the Egyptian insisting no formal offer had been received despite being “almost in December,” leaving him “disappointed” at the lack of progress.

“I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end, it is not in my hands,” he told reporters.

But to counter Salah’s “disappointed” claims, The Athletic‘s James Pearce reports that sources within the club insist talks have been “positive.”

“Contact with [Salah’s agent Ramy] Abbas has been positive and is ongoing,” Pearce writes, adding that it was “always going to be a complex renewal with a swift resolution unlikely.”

As the journalist explains, the majority of talks will be conducted verbally, with any formal offers made when those terms have been provisionally agreed.

Salah’s situation is a difficult one, as though he is undoubtedly one of Liverpool’s most important players and one of the best in the world, he will turn 33 in June and is already the club’s highest earner on £350,000 per week.

From the club’s side, it is a matter of striking a balance in terms of the length of any new deal and ensuring they are not paying out a record wage if the forward experiences a natural decline in form.

It has always been a case of compromise between Liverpool and Salah – and hopefully, given the noise from within Anfield, that can eventually be struck.

Interestingly, Pearce adds that sources at the club “haven’t confirmed or denied” whether the No. 11’s comments are accurate or not.

There is a clear sense that, while worrying that there has been no breakthrough yet given his importance, this development is part of the negotiation process for Salah.

Similar played out during protracted talks over his current deal in 2022, with an agreement finally reached in July of that year – albeit when he still had 12 months remaining on his terms at the time, unlike now.

This time around, things are made even more complicated by Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also seeing their deals expire in the summer.

It sparks a power play between three players who are already in the top bracket of earners at Liverpool, with none wishing to blink first as they all seek parity – at the least – when it comes to pay.