'Absolutely ridiculous' - Liverpool accused of making huge Mo Salah mistake as ex-Reds striker insists replacing Egyptian 'will cost a hell of lot more' than new contract

The Reds have known for some time that their Egyptian superstar will see his deal expire in the summer of 2025. Given his importance to the collective cause at Anfield, and with major silverware back up for grabs on Merseyside, the expectation was that an extension would be thrashed out.

Salah has, however, been hinting at hitting free agency and taking on a new challenge. He has been linked with leading sides in the Saudi Pro League and across Europe, with there still plenty left in his tank at 32 years of age, while potential replacements have been speculated on as Liverpool piece together plans for all eventualities.

Stan Collymore believes there may be more twists to come in a sporting soap opera, with it difficult to see why Liverpool would be prepared to part ways with Salah. The former Reds striker, speaking in association with William Hill Vegas, told GOAL when asked about what happens next in a long-running saga: “I still think there is a lot of cat and mouse.

“My own personal view is that Liverpool would be absolutely ridiculous to let him go. The notion that there are players of that calibre out there that you can go and spend 50-60 million on and get into the team and do what they did with Salah, who I think cost about 30-35m when they brought him in, is ridiculous. It will cost a hell of a lot more.

“You look at [Erling] Haaland signing a new contract, half-a-million-pound-plus, [Kylian] Mbappe is going nowhere at Real Madrid. You look beyond that, the two great strikers of this generation, and there aren’t lots out there.

“I’m sure Liverpool’s recruitment department will be saying ‘we’ve got irons in the fire and we believe we can bring players in, one or two, that will score the required amount of goals’. But I think it’s a no-brainer. Liverpool already have him so they don’t have to play a fee. He knows them, they know him. It would just be a case of wages for three years and bonuses.”

Getty Images

Collymore, who spent two seasons at Anfield in his playing days, added: “I just think where Liverpool are, if they were to win the Premier League and win the Champions League, which is still very much possible – maybe even probable – then it’s not a case of not making the money to cover wages. They are a huge football club that makes huge amounts of revenue. For me, there is still a deal to be done.

“But if he were to go, I can’t see him going to a potential European rival – which would discount anybody in Germany, France, Italy, Spain. I think it would be Saudi, I think he’d go there. Then they have shaken hands with him, he goes off into the sunset as a legend and they don’t have to worry about him competing against them.”

Liverpool will not be in a position to dictate where Salah goes next if they do allow him to walk away for nothing. They have seen him register 236 goals through 382 appearances, claiming Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup titles alongside three Golden Boots and a couple of PFA Player of the Year awards.