Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been offered a contract that will make him the highest-paid player in world football.
The Egyptian King has been in scintillating form this season, finding himself 3/1 favourite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or, after notching 38 goals and assists in his opening 28 games of the season in all competitions.
With Liverpool top of the Premier League and the league phase of the Champions League, there is an expectation that the Reds will offer Salah new terms at Anfield – but there are plenty of suitors vying to sign the superstar.
Liverpool may have to offer extortionate wages to keep Mohamed Salah, following world-record counter offer
As of January 1, Liverpool trio Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been allowed to negotiate deals with overseas clubs ahead of their contract expiries in June.
Salah has spoken publicly about his standoff with the Merseysiders – with Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher branding the player “selfish” for doing so. Now, it seems as if there is a huge offer at the feet of Salah, however, that will Liverpool may to compete with if they want to convince him to stay.
A report from Spanish outlet Fichajes says that Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad are “emerging as the leading contender” to sign Salah – and are prepared to make him the highest-paid player in world football.
According to Forbes, Saudi Pro League icon Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the highest-paid footballer on Earth, netting $220 million a year solely from on-field activity. This translates to a weekly wage of around £3.5m-a-week – something that Liverpool could never be able to compete with.
Arne Slot's hope is that 33-year-old Salah decides that he is still on top of his game – and that given he is currently ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best right-wingers in the world right now, he opts to continue at the top for another couple of years instead of turning his back on European football.
FourFourTwo understands that this has never been a financial decision from Salah.
Whether it was from Saudi Arabia, Major League Soccer or Paris Saint-Germain's supposed interest, Salah was always going to have mega-money options on the table: his biggest interest has always been in feeling valued and challenged, though.
Liverpool's offer to him may have to be one that gives him a longer contract and a wage reflective of his contribution to the club and to European football in recent seasons – Salah is ranked at no.19 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League players of all time – rather than simply making him the best-paid player in the Premier League for another year or two.
Salah is valued at €55m by Transfermarkt. Liverpool take on Nottingham Forest tonight when Premier League action returns.
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