Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane could be lured away from Liverpool by big-money offers from afar, says John Barnes, with the Reds warned that “every club is a selling club in modern football”.
Those at Anfield have found that out to their cost in past transfer windows, with the likes of Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho taken to pastures new when at the peak of their powers.
Recent success on the field has helped to convince star turns that the grass is not always greener elsewhere, with Jurgen Klopp proving that he can deliver major silverware on Merseyside.
That is helping to keep the likes of Mane and Salah in their current surroundings, but talk of interest in the pair from La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid refuses to go away.
Barnes concedes that heads may be turned if lucrative contracts are put on the table, with no club able to guarantee that prized assets will be retained for a prolonged period of time.
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The Liverpool legend told WION: “Every club is a selling club in modern football. A club like Barcelona was forced to sell Neymar.
“What attracts footballers today is the salaries that they are going to get. Whoever the player may be, whether it be Sadio Mane or Mo Salah, if anyone is offered a million pounds per week by any club, then they will join that team regardless of their quality or standing, that is the reality of modern football.
“We have had so many fantastic players leave the Liverpool - Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho. It is great that Liverpool have a bit of muscle now because of the on-field success, but ultimately players come and players go.
“I always tell the fans to support the club and not the players. A player must not be compelled to stay at a club against his own will, because that will make the player feel more powerful than the club and hence it will make him less accountable for his performances on the pitch.
“The good thing is that I can guarantee that such a situation will not arise under Klopp because of the control he has over the players and the club. Players know they cannot overstep their mark with him in charge.”
