Liverpool and Mohamed Salah have been told by a Sky Sports pundit to reach a 'compromise' on the winger's new contract.
Salah has 12 months left on his current deal and without an extension, the Egytian will be free to talk to teams outside of England from January 1 before leaving on a free transfer next summer. The two sides have been in negotiations for a while but are seemingly no closer to an agreement.
With Sadio Mane potentially leaving this summer, the ECHO understands the Reds are expecting Bayern to lodge a third, improved bid for Mane in the coming days as they hold out for nearer £42.75million for the Senegalese international, losing Salah and potentially Roberto Firmino a year later to free transfers is something the club will want to avoid.
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Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell believes that while a deal has yet to be agreed, both Liverpool and Salah will eventually strike a deal - even if it comes when he's a free agent next summer.
“I don’t think it will be a matter of bowing to his demands,” Campbell told Football Insider . “Both parties have to come to a compromise. They need to conclude on a deal that works for everyone.
“Salah is a big-time player, a marquee player for Liverpool. He was brilliant last season. I don’t see it being a problem. I truly believe they will come to an agreement.
“Here is the funny thing, if they don’t come to an agreement and his contract expires, it doesn’t mean he will leave the club.
“At that point, everyone is in the same boat. There would be a different negotiation to be had at that stage. I wouldn’t rule that one out.”
Salah has spoken out in the past about the contract talks. In an interview with FourFourTwo earlier this year about staying past 2023 he said: “I don’t know, I have one year left. I think the fans know what I want, but in the contract it’s not everything about the money at all. So I don’t know, I can’t tell you exactly. I have one year left and the fans know what I want."