Frank McAvennie has warned Liverpool that the fanbase will react poorly if Mo Salah is allowed to leave the club on or before his contract’s expiration date.
The 61-year-old responded to reports claiming that the Egyptian international is demanding wages amounting to £500k-per-week to keep him at Anfield.
“That’s an insane amount of money,” the former West Ham hitman told Football Insider.
“But Salah can demand that. Both parties have to be really careful.
“If the club don’t pay and Salah leaves, there will be carnage. Even if Salah’s demands are too much, the fans will blame the club.”
The forward’s current terms are only set to last until the summer of 2023, with talks said to remain ongoing between the two parties in question.
It should be noted right off the bat that the figure in question has been challenged on several occasions – most recently by transfer news guru, Fabrizio Romano on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE.
Though concerns about the player’s age are frequently brought up when discussing the No.11’s future in Merseyside, there are yet to be any clear red flags regarding either his durability or his ability to maintain a high standard of performance well into his 30s.
Certainly, were we to lose the league’s top scorer in the near future, it’s difficult to see how the club hierarchy would navigate themselves out of the potential mire of fan fury.
We appreciate the need to consider the financial side of the equation but to gamble against the future of one of the globe’s elite talents – not to mention one in perfect physical condition – would seem ill-advised at this stage.