Mohamed Salah comment suggests Liverpool contract talks are underway as 'hint' spotted

Mohamed Salah caused a stir at the weekend after telling reporters Liverpool hadn't offered him a new deal, but Alan Shearer thinks negotiations are further along than the forward is making out

Contract negotiations between Liverpool and Mohamed Salah are already underway, Alan Shearer has claimed.

The Newcastle legend reckons Salah's explosive comments, made after Liverpool's clash with Southampton on Sunday, were evidence that talks between player and club had in fact begun, but that the two parties are still some way apart from an agreement. After scoring twice in a 3-2 win over the Saints, Salah, whose deal expires at the end of the season, told reporters than he hadn't received an extension offer, and that subsequently, he was a lot closer to leaving the club than staying.

Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said he thought Salah's remarks were tactical, and probably his agent's idea. He also said that judging by the Egyptian's choice of words, negotiations have actually been underway for some time.

"There's no doubt Mo Salah was told to say what he said at the weekend by his agent to try and put pressure on the football club," the 54-year-old said. "It was noticeable he said he 'hadn't been offered a contract'. He didn't say that talks hadn't been going on. They're two separate things, I think.

"He was looking after himself and his agent was telling him to do that, there's no doubt of that because he very rarely stops in the media zone after games. I didn't have a problem with what Mo did. When clubs want to get rid of you, they get rid of you and don't have any empathy or sympathy towards you, so he was looking after his situation."

Despite a positive reception from the Anfield faithful during Liverpool's 2-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid on Wednesday night, Salah's comments drew plenty of criticism, most notably from Reds legend Jamie Carragher. The former defender branded Salah "selfish" for taking the issue public, particularly at such a crucial time in the season, with games against Madrid and Manchester City coming up.

Shearer, however, defended Salah's right to "look after himself", and insisted that both player and club had reason to feel hard done by. "I know Liverpool are going after a title but he's also got to look after himself. Likewise, when the club has to look after itself, they will. It works both ways," he said.

"He’s a Premier League great there's no doubt. Whatever happens to him, whether he stays or goes, he will be looked upon as an icon of the Premier League. The number of times he's rescued Liverpool as he did at the weekend again. When you've got him in your team, you've always got a chance."

Salah, 32, is reportedly earning £350,000-a-week at Liverpool, making him one of the highest-paid footballers on the planet. While the specifics of his contract demands aren't known, it's understood that Liverpool are reluctant to hand a similarly-lucrative multi-year deal to a man who'll be 33 at the start of next season.

That said, the former Chelsea forward is showing little signs of slowing down. He's scored 10 goals in 12 Premier League matches so far this season, helping Arne Slot's side establish an eight-point lead at the top of the table.

Salah isn't the only Liverpool superstar entering the final few months of his contract. Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are in identical positions, with contract negotiations for both players currently non-existent (publicly, at least).

Whether the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the futures of the aforementioned trio affects Liverpool's increasingly-promising title push remains to be seen, but it doesn't appear to be doing much damage at the moment. Up next is a top-of-the-table clash with Pep Guardiola's City side, who have lost five out of their last six matches in all competitions.

Victory would move the Reds 11 points clear of the defending champions, and Slot's men will fancy doing just that given the club's strong record against City at Anfield. Since 2016, Liverpool have lost just at home against City in a run that spans 11 games. Fellow title rivals Arsenal, meanwhile, go to West Ham on Saturday evening.

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