Liverpool players ‘shocked’ by major development in last 24 hours – report

Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah sent shockwaves through the football world when he suggested he could likely leave the club at the end of the season.

The timing of his outburst was unfortunate. The Reds will face Real Madrid, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Everton over the next ten days, but the focus has shifted to Salah’s comments.

Melissa Reddy proposed that although Liverpool have opened talks with Salah’s representatives, there is a gap between what the player wants and what the club is willing to offer, and this is not an easy solution.

According to a report from the Daily mailLiverpool players are “shocked” by Salah’s behaviour. He gave an interview (something he hasn’t done for five years) to some journalists in the mixed zone after Liverpool beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary’s on Sunday.

The Reds players were “shocked to see him walking to reporters – to TV networks in Egypt that were covering their biggest export 24 hours a day.”

There is a good chance that Salah can leave

Salah wants to stay at the club and Liverpool are willing to keep him.

He will turn 33 in a few months, and the club will probably hesitate to offer him a long-term contract.

Fenway Sports Group doesn’t usually offer lucrative long-term deals to players over the age of 30, but can they make an exception for Salah?

A parallel analogy can be drawn with Mookie Betts, the baseball player who was allowed to walk away from the FSG-owned Boston Red Sox.

Like Salah, Betts was their star man and highest-paid player. He wanted to stay, but because no offer came, he moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Can Liverpool make an exception?

This is half the story. The other side is that Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are exceptionally talented players and are not easy to replace.

Salah is still Liverpool’s top scorer this season, with 12 goals in all competitions. He also provided ten assists.

He shows no signs of slowing down. It seems likely that a compromise will have to be reached on both sides if he is to remain at Anfield.