"You've got to be sensible"- Noel Whelan urges Liverpool to not budge to Mohamed Salah's 'staggering' demands

Mohamed Salah's standoff with Liverpool continues over his contract extension talks, with both parties having failed to reach a breakthrough in recent weeks.

The Reds are said to be reluctant to meet the Egyptian's staggering wage demands and former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan thinks they need to maintain that stance.

It is believed that Mohamed Salah has demanded to be paid a whopping £500,000-a-week to continue plying his trade at Anfield.

Noel Whelan has warned the Merseysiders that paying the 29-year-old such a gargantuan figure will not only break their wage structure but also hinder them from signing other players.

"You've got to be so careful when you’re talking contracts," the Englishman told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury. "£500,000-a-week would make him one of the highest-paid players in the world. Now as much as you want to keep your star players – and he is the star at Liverpool – you've got to be sensible.

"You need to draw a line in the sand, and weigh everything up. Because paying out that sort of money could really hamstring Liverpool and even prevent them strengthening in the transfer window.

"As much as it might disappoint Liverpool fans, he can't be allowed to hold Liverpool to ransom. That's a staggering amount of money. It could mean keeping Salah – but buying no-one else. It would smash that wage structure, and that's where you don’t want to be."

It is worth noting that Mohamed Salah has less than 16 months left on his contract with the Reds.

The Egyptian's current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2023 and Liverpool are eager to tie him to a new one as soon as possible.

Mohamed Salah's numbers for Liverpool this season

The Egyptian's future at Anfield is subject of speculation right now

Salah has been a standout performer for the Reds since the campaign kicked off, producing incredible performances in front of goal and earning praise from many.

He's currently leading the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with 20 goals and has also provided ten assists in 26 games.

Overall, Mohamed Salah has bagged an impressive 28 goals and ten assists for Liverpool in 35 games across all fronts. It remains to be seen how many more he will add to his tally before the campaign runs out.