The contract of Mohamed Salah expires in the summer of 2025 and Michael Edwards will have to make a decision on his future very soon.
There are three options:
1. Give Mo a new deal;
2. Sell him for a fee this summer;
3. Keep him until his contract runs out and let him leave Liverpool on free transfer in 2025.
We're not calling on the Reds to part ways with the 31-year-old. However, we'd like to analyse how much Liverpool could get for Salah if they decide to sell this summer.
Saudi Arabian clubs have been credited with interest in the forward. Last summer, they tried to persuade the Reds to sell Mo for the staggering £215m — but the club refused.
Pro League clubs will curb their spending this summer, as confirmed by the league's chief Carlo Nohra. He told Bloomberg: “It is imperative to the clubs to try to act, they will have to offload players to free up some budget to be able to buy new ones.”.
So while we wouldn't expect a repeat of the last-year's craziness from Saudi clubs, we still believe that Liverpool can fetch a huge fee for Salah. That's because the Egyptian is the most popular footballer and athlete with a Muslim background.
The Pro League struggles with attendance numbers, attracting slightly over 8,000 fans per match on average. Signing Salah would guarantee people coming to the stands in a Muslim country. Even if the Saudi clubs are scaling down their spending, they would still be ready to pay a lot for the Reds forward due to his unique appeal.
Mo's expiring contract will probably lower his price compared to the £215m fee that was offered last year. But Michael Edwards is known for his negotiation skills when it comes to selling players. Therefore, we believe that getting about £200m for Salah would be possible this summer.
