Peter Crouch has urged his former club Liverpool not to sell Mo Salah in the final week of the summer transfer window, describing the Egyptian as ‘irreplaceable’.
The 31-year-old has been the subject of reported interest from Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad, who are prepared to offer him a gargantuan wage packet to try and lure him to the Middle East (Sky Sports).
Stan Collymore told CaughtOffside that a seismic offer in the region of £300m could be too much for the Reds to turn down, but another ex-Anfield striker has implored the club not to sell the legendary number 11.
Speaking about Salah on TNT Sports on Saturday, Crouch said: “No, he’s the one player that is irreplaceable. I don’t care what you say. I mean, if you sell him for £100m, £200m, you can’t replace him. I think obviously they’ll be trying tooth and nail to keep him.”
However, the 42-year-old is fearful that Liverpool could eventually cave if a massive offer comes from Al-Ittihad, saying: “This Saudi thing doesn’t seem to be going away. If he wants to choose that path, I think it’ll be very difficult to keep him.”
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From a purely financial perspective, a nine-figure offer for Salah could be tough to dismiss, given that he’s now 31 and that the influx of cash could be put towards multiple signings for Liverpool.
However, such is the Egyptian’s importance to Jurgen Klopp’s side that selling him so late in the transfer window simply can’t be entertained, no matter what figure is presented to the Reds.
There’s not nearly enough time to bring in a replacement of similar quality with six days until the deadline, while LFC must also send out a statement that they won’t be intimidated into caving into the incomprehensible riches of the Saudi Pro League.
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What this ongoing rumour does raise, though, is the possibility that Salah could be playing his final season at Liverpool.
With his current deal running until 2025 (Transfermarkt), it’s not unthinkable that the Reds might take the money for him in 10-12 months’ time, but they should only do if they’re certain that they have just as good a player to come straight into Klopp’s team.
Crouch is right – for now, the Egyptian King is simply irreplaceable for LFC.
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