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Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah doesn’t speak in public often, so when he does, he’s very likely to cause a stir.
That was no different this week, as Liverpool’s top scorer stated in an interview that he wanted to “break all club records” after having surpassed Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s European top scorer earlier this season.
But it wasn’t that particular comment that caught the attention of many in that interview.
“I think Madrid and Barcelona are top clubs,” Salah also said.
“We never know what is going to happen in the future, but right now I am focused on winning the Premier League and the Champions League again with my club.”
As discussed in the latest Blood Red Agenda podcast, there is no requirement for Salah to move elsewhere to fulfill his ambitions, nor any reason to think that this was the first clue that he might be on his way.
“The most important thing is to win something, to win the big trophies with the team. That is the most important thing,” Salah added.
The forward highlighted his importance for Liverpool with two goals and an assist against Crystal Palace, although he was only on the field for a third of the game.
That 33-minute cameo saw him go up to contributions of 0.88 goals per game so far in all competitions as a Liverpool player, in 173 appearances. For the Premier League alone, that figure rises to 0.97.
Salah also leads the division in the Golden Boot career this season with 13 goals in as many Premier League appearances, with 16 total goals for the Reds in 2020/21.
Listen to the full Agenda podcast on Mohamed Salah by clicking HERE
Jurgen Klopp confirmed his point man only rested for the weekend’s Crystal Palace game, having played nearly 90 minutes in each of Liverpool’s previous five games, despite some suggestions that it could be punishment for the comments.
That decision to give him rest was made before the interview was published, and while Salah’s interview did nothing to downplay the suggestion that Real Madrid and Barcelona might be interested in him, there is no reason to think that not happy at Anfield.
After all, the Premier League champions and league leaders are among the favorites for the Champions League and are more likely than any of the LaLiga teams to win that tournament.
Real Madrid, and particularly Barcelona, are not in the financial position to buy Salah right now, even if they wanted to.
Neither of the Spanish teams would represent a step forward for the Egyptian, and if Real Madrid make a transfer in the region of £ 200 million anytime soon, it seems more likely that Kylian Mbappé will be targeted.
Bayern Munich and PSG are also options in terms of being great clubs in Europe, but the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 are no match for the Premier League, and it’s hard to see Salah in either of them for real.
And Salah knows from his time at Chelsea, compared to his time at Anfield, what it means to be loved by a group of fans. As Philippe Coutinho has learned, the grass is not always greener elsewhere.
Salah’s contract with Liverpool has two years left at the end of this season, with many others like Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho in the same situation.
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This interview is likely to be a negotiation tool used to highlight Salah’s skills, giving his representatives the best chance of getting him a good deal to the extreme in subsequent contract negotiations.
Salah, who scored 44 goals in his debut season, has become a better footballer since that 2017/18 campaign, and goals are scarcely any more rare now. At 28, there is no reason to think that they will dry up or that their game will change dramatically for another five years.
Gini Wijnaldum’s departure could be the first sign that starting next summer he will embark on a gradual renewal of the Liverpool team, coordinated by sporting director Michael Edwards.
But Salah, like Van Dijk and Fabinho, as well as Captain Jordan Henderson, who is also on contract until 2023, will almost certainly not be one of those euthanized.
Salah explained in the interview that he was disappointed that he was not captain of Liverpool against FC Midtjylland in a very changed team. It seems more likely that the ambition will be fulfilled at some point rather than a mega-monetary move.
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