Liverpool owner John Henry forged 'close relationship' with ex-Man Utd chief Ed Woodward and took advice on Mohamed Salah's contract standoff

A revealing report from the Daily Mail on Salah has lifted the curtain on his career at Liverpool, exposing both the good and the bad. One key flashpoint in the story came before the 2022 Champions League final, in which the Reds lost 1-0 to Real Madrid, where club majority owner Henry was keen to extend Salah's contract.

At the time, Henry had grown close with the much maligned United chief Woodward, who helped advise him on how best to go about contract talks. Despite Salah's excellent consistency since his arrival in 2017, very few clubs were in the market for him, and the interest which there was, namely from Paris Saint-Germain, appeared unattractive to Salah. As a result, Liverpool were in a strong position to extend the Egyptian's contract as it seemed he had nowhere else to go.

In the revealing article, it's claimed that Woodward told Henry of his struggle to manage 'expectations' after handing David De Gea a lucrative new deal in 2019, intimating this was a warning to the Liverpool head honcho, who he had grown close to after working together on Project Big Picture.

Liverpool are preparing for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen, before hosting Aston Villa in crucial Premier League clash. Salah has been in potent form so far this season, notching nine goals and seven assists in all competitions.