Liverpool may strike an agreement with Mohamed Salah similar to Manchester United’s with Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2008, according to Ray Parlour. The Arsenal legend believes Jurgen Klopp will request Salah to stay until the end of the season, as Sir Alex Ferguson did with the Portugal superstar.
Liverpool resisted any temptation to sell Salah for a massive price in the summer. Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad were willing to pay up to £200million for the Egyptian winger.
Liverpool did not have time to replace Salah and stood firm in their stance that he was not for sale at any price. But Saudi chiefs are likely to test the Reds’ resolve again in the January transfer window.
Parlour, though, says Liverpool will attempt to put Salah off until the end of the campaign at least. He has compared it to Ronaldo’s situation at United 15 years ago.
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Real Madrid wanted to sign Ronaldo in the summer of 2008 but Ferguson persuaded him to stay for another season, with a gentleman’s agreement that he could leave in 12 months. Ronaldo went on to win the Premier League and League Cup that season, with United also reaching the Champions League final but losing to Barcelona.
Parlour said the offer for Salah in the summer didn’t suit Liverpool and says that will also be the case if they are well-placed in the Premier League come January. He told Mighty Tips: “How the deal was proposed, it didn’t suit Liverpool whatsoever, because they would’ve had to replace him very quickly.
“The window was just about to close, and you’re losing a guy that will score you 20-25 goals a season, but I think they’ll be back, the Saudi Arabians look like they’re in it for the long haul.
“They want the best players; they want the stars of the Premier League, and they even offer big money. From Liverpool’s point of view, they can plan a bit better, they can plan for next summer or January, but whether they let him go or not depends on how Liverpool are doing, I should imagine.
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“If they’re doing well in the league, they’re not going to let him go in January, but maybe they’ll deal with the player and say, look, give us the rest of the season, a little bit like Ronaldo at Manchester United. They gave him their blessing and said, look, off you go, earn some money, and do whatever you want to do.”
Parlour says that tactic will give Liverpool more time to scour the market for a player who can step into Salah’s shoes. He added: “I’m sure he’s not short of money now, at Liverpool, but he’s going to earn ridiculous amounts.
“But at least Liverpool can go out and try and spot players now or take a gamble on a couple of players with the money and see if they can get another Mo Salah. He failed at Chelsea, and Liverpool got the best out of him, so there are players out there who can probably do a job as well.
“You’ve just got to find them, that’s the hard bit, that’s where the recruitment comes into it – and that’s why Brighton are so good, because they scale the world, especially South America.”
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