‘Deal might have been struck’ – Have Liverpool already agreed Mohamed Salah sale amid Saudi transfer talk & where does Egyptian sit among Reds’ all-time greats?

The Egyptian superstar has been at Anfield since 2017. He has won Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Super and FIFA Club World Cup honours during his time on Merseyside – scoring over 200 goals in the process. He is currently unavailable to Jurgen Klopp, having headed off on AFCON duty before picking up an untimely injury, and it may be that the Reds have to get used to not having Salah around.

Liverpool legend Molby, speaking on behalf of Free Bets, told GOAL when asked if a long goodbye is being taken in by Salah alongside his German coach – who has already announced that he will be moving on - with interest from Saudi Arabia first emerging in the summer of 2023: “Great question. I think a lot of people feel because of what happened in the summer, that it almost felt Liverpool said to the Saudi clubs: ‘Don’t put us in a situation where we don’t have time to replace him’. Obviously it probably would be something that would tempt Mohamed Salah, to go to Saudi Arabia. It almost feels like a deal might have been struck – let’s step back and look at it again in the summer of 2024. Of course it depends on Mohamed Salah and how he views the rest of his career.

"He could stay at Liverpool and become an even bigger legend and produce even more impressive numbers, or he could go somewhere else that almost feels like home and show people there what he is capable of. It will be interesting to see. Whether you think Mohamed Salah is a great player or not, he has tremendous stats. He is always available to play, scores goals, makes assists. It will be an interesting one. It will require a big number to take him away from Anfield."

Those numbers were around the £200 million ($255m) mark last summer. Said figures will come down a bit as Salah approaches the final year of his contract at Liverpool, but they may prove impossible to turn down for a player that would become a free agent in 2025. Molby added: “If they are the numbers, and with what he has got left on his contract, it will probably make sense. Also to take that next step. We have seen how successfully they have used money in the past – the [Philippe] Coutinho money and what that did to the squad. They might be able to do something similar should they decide that the offer is too good to turn down.”

If Liverpool were to cash in, then they would have some serious cash burning a hole in their pocket. Quizzed on whether the Reds would look to blow that war chest on another ready-made superstar or spread the costs and reinforce various areas of their squad, Molby said of recruitment business: “It’s not something that Liverpool normally do. If you look at players that have turned out to be some of the greatest in the club’s history, they haven’t been bought at superstars – Liverpool turned them into superstars. I would be more likely to think that Liverpool might go for two or three different positions should they get 150-plus. Liverpool have, for six or seven years, been buying really well. You have to suggest that you wouldn’t be overly concerned. You probably wouldn’t find another Mohamed Salah, but you can find somebody else and change the way you play slightly.”

Salah would leave a sizeable void if he were to move on, with his exploits at Anfield earning him a place among Liverpool’s all-time greats. Pressed on where he now stands on that list, and whether he has broken into the top five, Molby said: “I think so. There are obviously players that are difficult to judge due to lack of footage from back in the day, but if you look at the modern era - the likes of Steven Gerrard and Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush – he’s up there. It comes back to what I said before, if you think he’s a great player or not, his stats will blow almost everybody out of the water. I think we are starting to include him in top five all-time great Liverpool players.”

Salah has earned his place among the immortals at Liverpool, regardless of what his future holds from this point, and Reds supporters will continue to treat him like a hero until the time comes for a parting of ways – with talk of a switch to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in the Middle East unlikely to go away any time soon.