Danny Murphy urges Liverpool to hand Mohamed Salah a new contract and told talkSPORT the winger is not the ‘type of character’ to ease off if the club offered him improved terms.
Salah enters the final year of his current deal this summer, but has made it clear he wants to stay. He also stated recently, via the Liverpool Echo: “They know what I want, I’m not asking for crazy stuff”. But the Reds have not yet made any progress in their negotiations.
Liverpool expect to eventually strike a compromise to keep Salah at Anfield as there likely will be limited summer suitors. Yet club chiefs are also monitoring potential replacements, with The Athletic citing Leeds United talisman Raphinha as an ongoing transfer target.
Salah seeking double-your-money pay rise to pen new Liverpool contract
Salah is presently Liverpool’s joint-top earner with Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Alcantara on £200k-a-week contracts, per Spotrac. However, he wants the Reds to place him among the Premier League’s top earners on £400k-a-week with a new four-year deal, per the Mirror.
The 29-year-old does not believe his demands are unrealistic with Kevin de Bruyne earning £400k-a/w with Manchester City. Cristiano Ronaldo also earns £500k-a-week with United.
Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, has used the Belgian and Portuguese’s salaries as examples during his meetings with Liverpool. The Egyptian’s camp also believe he can attract a wide pool of suitors if the Reds were to try and cash in this summer to avoid him leaving for free.
Murphy urges Anfield chiefs to hand Salah a new deal
Murphy, though, urges his former side Liverpool to hand Salah a new contract and not seek a transfer. He also feels the £34m former Roma winger would not regress if the Reds were to increase his wage. Instead, Murphy senses the forward is currently underappreciated.
“He breaks that many records and he consistently scores such wonderful goals and does so much good that you just kind of expect it,” Murphy said. “That’s the biggest compliment I can give to him. He’s still not appreciated enough, he will be when he goes.
“To think the goals that he’s scored and the records that he’s breaking, none of them are from centre-forward positions. I just hope he does sign because I don’t see a let up in his hunger and desire, the way he plays, his speed, running off the ball, desire to score goals.
“He doesn’t look like the type of character who would fall into any comfort zone as he gets double the money or whatever. You hear him talk and he says he wants to do this and wants to break that… We’ll wait and see, but I hope we keep him.”
Salah has stunned even Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp with his goalscoring record at Anfield. The 80-cap dynamo struck his 150th Reds goal in his 233rd appearance in all competitions on Saturday to beat Norwich. He now has 17 in 23 Premier League games so far this term.
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