Dejan Lovren has taken a different stance to two of his old Liverpool colleagues when it comes to the future of Mohamed Salah. Salah, 33, is set to see his Anfield contract expire this summer, with no sign of an extension in sight for the club icon. That's despite the fact Arne Slot is on course to lift the Premier League title in his first season at the club and could still haul in a treble of trophies this term.
Many fans are up in arms that the Merseysiders don't appear to be moving quickly enough to tie their talisman down on fresh terms. But Lovren - who won a league title and the Champions League alongside Salah - has accused the club of 'not showing respect' and suggested the £350,000-a-week asset could be on his way out. "I have to be careful what I say now, because I know a lot of things," Lovren told WinWin. "Honestly, I don’t know the exact numbers, but whatever he’s asking for, I think he deserves it. It’s simple, this guy is doing his job on the pitch.
"Don’t look at his age, some will say he’ll be 33, but look at Ronaldo, he’s 40 and still playing. Mohamed Salah is still scoring goals, he’s in great physical and mental shape. He’s still playing for the national team, so what’s the problem? He’s seven or eight years younger [than Ronaldo]. So what’s the problem with Salah? Nobody can find an answer, that’s why I find it difficult.
“I can talk in more detail. Salah believes that there are things missing from the club side, and I hope they’ll be resolved soon. But the current reality is that he’s closer to leaving than staying.". He added: "In the end, I came to the conclusion that the club doesn't respect him enough, or at least not as much as they think they deserve, but that's another side of the story, it's all about what goes on behind the scenes.".
The Croat - who is currently playing for PAOK in the Greek Super League - gave a more emotional response than either Fabinho or Adrian, who can't see him leaving and believed the club would do everything they could to tie the star forward down. Fabinho even insisted that Liverpool were 'desperate' to get Salah to agree to a new deal. "I haven’t talked to them lately and to be honest I didn’t see any news about them coming to the Saudi League or leaving Liverpool," the Brazilian told FourFourTwo in October 2024. "I know that some players like Mo, Virgil [Van Dijk] and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] are at the end of their contract, and I think Liverpool are desperate to get them a new contract, but it’s not my problem any more!".
Former Reds goalkeeper Adrian was slightly firmer in his stance and said he "cannot see Mohamed Salah playing for another team in the Premier League." Moreover, the Spaniard said he felt it was the best option for all concerned for Salah to renew his deal and remain at Anfield "if he has the opportunity.". “I know the players there love him. The fans love him. He loves the team and the city, and the experience he has had at Liverpool is huge," he told WinWin. "I don’t know if they have already started talking to him about renewing the contract or opening the door for him to leave the club, but I can’t see Mohamed Salah currently outside Liverpool.".
However, despite two of his former teammates believing he would stay, Lovren - who may well be closer to the situation than Fabinho and Adrian - believes he is much closer to leaving than staying. The Reds winger, who currently leads the Premier League Golden Boot hunt with 21 goals this season, confirmed as much in January. When asked if this was his last season for Liverpool, he replied: "So far? Yes. Into the last six months, there is no progress there, we're far away from any progress, so we just need to wait and see.".
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The new Liverpool home shirt for the 2024/2025 season features a Chrome Yellow pattern design sees a modernised take on the legendary 84 Home Shirt, a season which saw the Reds become European Champions for the 4th time in Rome and the first English Club to win a Treble of major honours. You can pre-order it now for Thursday, May 16.
