Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah will likely leave the club at the end of this season, according to former Reds hero Jamie Carragher.
The 31-year-old’s future has been a big talking point in recent weeks, with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad showing genuine interest in him and having a £150m bid rejected.
There is still just about time for Salah to leave this week before the Saudi transfer window closes, but it would be a huge shock if that happened now.
The Egyptian continues to be an enormously important player for Liverpool, registering two goals and assists apiece in the opening four Premier League games of the season, and he is contracted at Anfield until 2025.
Speaking talkSPORT, Carragher claimed that he could see Salah departing next summer, however, saying it could make sense for all parties:
“I think the feeling amongst most Liverpool supporters is that we’ve maybe got him for one more season. Rather than let him go now at the start of a new season with no chance of actually bringing someone in right away.
“The fact that Liverpool have started well, we should hope that there’s a really good chance they make top four, could they really challenge [Manchester] City like they have done in the past? That’s the bigger question mark.
“But I think for all parties it almost feels right next summer where Liverpool you think would still get a substantial transfer fee.
“Liverpool would have Salah this season and give him a great opportunity for success and then Liverpool would have 12 months of thinking maybe someone, if there’s somebody out there who could possibly replace him.”
Our thoughts on Salah leaving Liverpool in 2024…
It is definitely easy to envisage Salah leaving Liverpool when next summer rolls around, considering the interest from Saudi Arabia likely won’t go away, and he will only have one year remaining on his Reds deal.
For that reason, the club could decide to cash in and receive huge money for arguably their most prized asset, at which point he will be 32 years of age and potentially drift past his very best.
Ideally, Salah would still stay at Liverpool beyond 2025, however, considering he is capable of playing at a high level well into his 30s, but as Carragher alludes to, there is a feeling that this will be his last season at Anfield.
The player himself could want one more big challenge in his career, having been on Merseyside for seven years by then, and he would be one of the biggest superstars in the Saudi Pro League.
Should that be the case, Reds supporters should appreciate every second of Salah until the campaign reaches its conclusion, with few players in the club’s history achieving such greatness.
