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Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny believes Liverpool may be forced to sell star man Mohamed Salah to a Premier League rival such as Chelsea or Manchester City.
Contract negotiations between the Reds and Salah have reached an impasse with neither side willing to budge on their position in talks.
There is a high chance the 30-year-old will leave Anfield as a free agent next summer with his contract set to expire.
The Egyptian star has been a huge part of the recent success Liverpool have accomplished under Jurgen Klopp.
He has won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup during his time at Anfield, whilst scoring an incredible 156 goals in 254 appearances.
Salah could follow former teammate Sadio Mane, who joined Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich out of the Merseyside club this summer.
Kenny believes that the Reds will not want to sell their star man to a Premier League rival.
He told Football Insider:
“I’m sure they won’t want to [sell to their rivals]. Ideally they would try and push him abroad. It’s just one where we have to wait and see what happens. Real Madrid and Barcelona were always mentioned but can you see Salah going there now with their financial problems?"
Kenny believes that the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City could be potential suitors for the Egyptian:
"Man City and Chelsea have the money to sign him, that’s certain. So if Liverpool make that huge decision to cash in, they’ll have to sell to one of those teams. That makes that side a lot stronger and it weakens Liverpool so that is less than ideal for them.”
Why Liverpool should not allow Mohamed Salah to join Chelsea or Manchester City
If the Reds are to mount yet another Premier League title charge, they can ill afford to allow Mohamed Salah to join a direct league rival.
Current champions Manchester City can be expected to challenge once again given that they have lured one of Europe's top strikers in Erling Haaland to the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland has joined from Borussia Dortmund and may be the final piece of the puzzle for Pep Guardiola, giving him a much-needed centre-forward.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are now under new ownership, with Tedd Boehly reportedly ready to give Thomas Tuchel a huge summer transfer war chest of £200 million.
Given that the Reds' two potential title rivals are already in a position to contend for the league, giving them Mohamed Salah would not be a wise move from Liverpool.
