'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
One-time FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker believes that offering a new contract to Mohamed Salah is not going to be easy for Liverpool. As things stand, the 29-year-old winger has less than 18 months remaining on his current contract at Anfield.
Lineker is aware of the strict wage structure the Reds follow. The 61-year-old stated that if the club decides to break the structure for one player, the others will soon follow and ask for more.
Lineker believes the Reds need to find a middle ground between Mohamed Salah's demands and their wage structure, which is going to be difficult. The former Leicester City forward was quoted as saying (via the Liverpool Echo):
“The thing is, he knows that he is absolutely top tier, so he could play anywhere. So to compete with that, then you’ve probably got to go against your whole wage structure. I don’t know what it is at Liverpool, I imagine it’s quite high anyway.”
He added:
“But then you’ve got to make another leap again, and then you get the old knock on the door from the other players, they’ve got a few superstars who would be saying ‘I want that’. So it’s not always an easy decision, he’s nearly 30 years old so that’s a decision you’ve got to make about your wage structure. We’ve seen that teams can get into trouble, so it’s not that easy.”
So far, there has been no development in contract talks between Salah and the Reds. Earlier this year, Fabrizio Romano reported that the Egyptian star has no intentions of accepting the offer from the club on his table. This is despite him wanting to stay at Anfield for the foreseeable future.
It is worth mentioning that Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are also in the same boat as Mohamed Salah. The aforementioned forwards also have less than 18 months remaining on their current contract.
Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool's talisman this season
Mohamed Salah has played a vital role in the Reds' impressive 2021-22 season as they still have a chance of winning the quadruple. The 29-year-old winger has managed to score 30 goals and provide 16 assists in 47 games across all competitions.
However, his recent form has been quite underwhelming to say the least. The Liverpool star has gone three Premier League matches without finding the back of the net. The last time he scored in the league was a brace against Manchester United, where Liverpool secured a 4-0 victory.
