Former England forward Peter Crouch has reacted to Liverpool’s lengthened contract saga with Mohamed Salah.
Mohamed Salah has been at the centre of attention of news media this month after reports had emerged that the winger had declined Liverpool’s latest contract proposal.
While the Egyptian remains keen on prolonging his stay at Anfield, he has rejected a contract offer that does not meet his demands. It is believed that the forward is holding out for a hefty £400,000-a-week contract that would make him the highest-paid footballer in Liverpool’s history.
Reacting to the lengthening saga, Peter Crouch has offered his thoughts on Salah’s contract situation. The former England striker has urged Liverpool to make him their highest-paid player but suggested that the club always come first.
“You give him what he wants, Van Dijk’s almost as important, Alisson, where does it end? It then becomes a problem. We all want to keep Mohamed Salah 100 per cent but he has to fall in line with what they’re prepared to pay,” Crouch told BT Sports, as quoted by Daily Mail.
Crouch is not the only pundit to urge the Reds to extend the contract of Mohamed Salah as another ex-Liverpool frontman in Robbie Fowler has offered a similar suggestion.
But Crouch stated that Salah should look to be a bit more understanding in regards to the club’s financial structure, adding, “You can make him the highest-paid but not beyond the structure that you’ve got. Liverpool as a football club will always be bigger than any individual.”
“I think there have been times when Liverpool have sold players and you thought it was unthinkable that they would do that and they always recovered. (Luis) Suarez was one of the highest-paid. Salah can say that he wants to be the highest-paid player. He’s been that good,” he said.
Since joining the club in 2017, Salah has been involved in over 200 goals in 238 competitive outings. His contributions in front of goal have played a key role in helping Liverpool secure the Premier League and the Champions League title in recent seasons. He is even regarded as one of the best players in the world and is one of the major contenders to win the next Ballon d’Or.
In a recent interaction with the media, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp urged the fans to have a little more patience with Salah’s contract situation. However, with just a few months remaining until the end of the season, time is surely running out for the Merseyside giants, especially with the likes of Real Madrid and PSG keeping close tabs on the situation.
