David Ornstein has shared his latest information on the future of Mo Salah, with his assertion possibly offering encouragement to Liverpool supporters.
The Egyptian was the subject of a £150m bid from Al-Ittihad at the end of the summer transfer window, with the Reds rejecting it out of hand (The Guardian), but there’s a strong possibility that the wealthiest clubs from the Saudi Pro League could try to entice him again in 2024.
In a Q&A for The Athletic, the journalist was asked if he’d heard ‘any noise’ on the 31-year-old’s situation, and if there’d been any word on ‘possible replacements’ at Anfield.
Ornstein replied: “No, other than I don’t think it’s set in stone he goes. I’ve even had some suggestions he would quite like to stay and continue to compete at the highest level in Europe. It’s a major decision for player and club, of course.”
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Amid the flurry of reports continuing to link Salah with an exit from Liverpool next year, it’s encouraging to hear one of the most reliable transfer journalists around in Ornstein hinting at the possibility of him staying on at Anfield.
Even if the wording was ‘some suggestions’ rather than any great definitive statement of intent, it’s still an update which offers plenty of hope that the 31-year-old won’t jump ship to Saudi Arabia just yet.
As the reporter stated, the Egyptian will be approaching a crossroads in his career in the not too distant future, as by next July he’ll have turned 32 and entered the final year of his current contract with the Reds.
He’s Liverpool’s highest-paid player by some distance on £350,000 per week (Capology), and the more fiscally-minded members of FSG might pose the question as to how much sense it’d make to continue paying a similar wage for someone who’s past the general peak period of a professional footballer.
However, such is Salah’s consistency and world-class ability that his situation falls outside the norm, which must be taken into account by the club’s powerbrokers when it comes to deciding upon his future.
Ideally it’ll be the case that the Reds’ number 11 remains determined to win major prizes at his current side, as Ornstein has hinted. His form this season indicates that he could continue to make a seismic impact in Europe for another few years yet.
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