As things stand, Liverpool are still yet to agree terms with Mohamed Salah over a new contract, with his current deal set to expire in June 2023.
According to the Guardian, the issue is to do with wages, as the Egyptian wants a pay rise on his current £200,000-a-week earnings.
According to The Athletic, the Reds are apprehensive about meeting his demands, as they don’t want to upset the wage structure at Anfield.
Now, a detail concerning Antonio Rudiger at Chelsea proves why Liverpool must continue to be careful during these tense negotiations.
What’s the story?
Well, Rudiger is leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, after the Blues failed to agree a new contract with him.
According to The Athletic, the fact Romelu Lukaku was signed from Inter Milan, and handed a basic wage of £340,000-a-week, did not help negotiations with the German defender.
We can’t say we’re surprised.
Rudiger has shone for Chelsea on a consistent basis over the last few years, and has been significantly better than Lukaku this season, so he had every right to ask those at Stamford Bridge for a similar salary.
Liverpool must learn from Chelsea
Chelsea’s inability to consider their wage structure has now cost them one of the best centre-backs in Europe, so Liverpool must learn from it.
At Anfield, Jürgen Klopp has a number of world-class stars such as Thiago, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and more, who deliver on a regular basis.
If Salah is paid something outrageous such as £400,000-a-week – which he is believed to want – then those aforementioned names would be more than entitled to ask for a pay rise of their own.
That then creates disharmony, and may affect results on the pitch.
After what happened with Rudiger and Lukaku, Liverpool must tread carefully when resuming contract negotiations with Salah.
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