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Liverpool legend John Aldridge has stressed the need for the Reds to hand a new contract to Sadio Mane, along with Mohamed Salah.
There has been a lot of talk about the left-footed forward's future at the Merseyside-based club recently. The Egyptian has his contract with them expiring next year and is yet to reach an agreement over a new deal.
The 29-year-old's contract situation has led to suggestions that he could be on his way out of Anfield soon. However, The Athletic's David Ornstein recently revealed that there is an expectation that the forward will put pen to paper on a new deal with Liverpool.
While Salah's contract standoff appears to be heading towards a positive end, there is clarity about Mane's future at the club. Like the Egyptian, Mane also has his deal with the Reds expiring at the end of the 2022-23 season and there is no suggestion that he is close to extending his stay.
Aldridge has now insisted that Mane, like Salah, is a player Liverpool cannot afford to lose. The Anfield great thus urged his former employers to make tying the 30-year-old down to a new deal a top priority. In his column for The Echo, he wrote:
"Sadio Mane was back on the scoresheet for Liverpool on Sunday and has continued his impressive form of late. Much of the talk over the future of the Reds' front three has been about Mohamed Salah and extending his contract at the club. Mane is also out of contract next summer, and that is problematic."
He added:
"He’s a player you want to keep, absolutely. It must be in the plan to get the contracts for the two of them done as soon as possible. You want stability and continuity and they have given us that. One may go, that is what has happened in the past, but we can’t afford to let the two of them go."
There were concerns about Mane's form last season when he managed to score just 16 goals from 48 appearances across all competitions. However, the Senegal international has already equalled that tally this term despite playing nine games fewer. It now remains to be seen if his contributions will be rewarded with a new contract at Anfield.
What has Ornstein said about Liverpool superstar Salah?
The Athletic's David Ornstein has suggested that the club and the player could soon reach a compromise in their contract negotiations with Salah. He said:
"The latest reports from the UK are that Salah is close to signing a new contract now. My understanding is not quite that advanced, but from the sources that I speak to, there is now an expectation that he will put pen to paper and a compromise will be reached."
The winger has scored 28 goals and provided 11 assists from 39 appearances across all competitions for Jurgen Klopp's side this term.
