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Liverpool contract twist could trigger Saudi part-takeover as Mohamed Salah lured with stake in club

Adam Williams

Thu 16 January 2025 20:15, UK Updated Thu 16 January 2025 20:31, UK

Even with Liverpool in poll position for only a second Premier League title in 35 years, Mohamed Salah’s contract psychodrama is threatening to be the story of the season.

The Egyptian King is coming to the end of the three-year deal he signed in 2022 and, as of 1 January, is 𒀰free to negotiate terms with overseas clubs for a pre-contract move.

Regardless of whether Arne Slot’s side go on to claim the Premier League crown, it would be a sad end to his remarkable Liverpool career if he was to move on a free, spiting owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG).

In what is becoming increasingly clear is a scenario right out of agent Ramy Abbas Issa’s playbook, Salah’s contract drama is largely being played out in public.

The 33-year-old has used social media to generate noise and further his case for a new deal on his terms – just ask Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who S♑alah cheekily accused of being “obsessed”🍷 with him.

Th♎e attacker has also been obliging when asked about his situation in interviews, saying that, as things stan👍d, this is set to be his final season at Anfield.

At present, Salah’s weekly wage is believed to be between £300,000 and £350,000 per week, although 💧the breakdown between fixed and variable pay, as wel📖l as stipulations around image rights, is not known.

Contractual nuances aside, he is𓃲 worth every pennꦛy.

Though he didn’t get on the scoresheet in Tuesday evening’s throwback 1-1 draw with 3rd-place Nottingham Forest, Salah has bagged 21 times this season.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	20	14	5	1	48	20	28	47
2	ArsenalArsenal	21	12	7	2	41	19	22	43
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	21	12	5	4	30	20	10	41
4	NewcastleNewcastle	21	11	5	5	37	22	15	38
5	ChelseaChelsea	21	10	7	4	41	26	15	37
6	Man CityManchester City	21	10	5	6	38	29	9	35

Failing a nosedive in form🅘, he will overtake Gorღdon Hodgson in Liverpool’s all-time goalscoring ranks before the end of the season, after which only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt will have netted more in red.

His numbers are, in the local slang, boss. For bedrock Liv🦹erpool fans, it is baffling that FSG aren’t giving Salah a blank check.

But even if the Boston-headquartered firm, who are known for their quiet and conservative approach to recruitment and retention, wanted to match the deal Salah could get elsewhere, could they afford t♈o?

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Mohamed Salah offered Lionel Messi-style stake in club

With his various spon⛄sorship deals and investments, Salah earns almost £1m per week before tജax.

However, that mind-bending figure ꧑will be utterly dwarfed if he moves to the Saudi Pro League in the summer, where his signature is bei♋ng courted by several clubs.

As reported by TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey, the Saudis are re🐷ady to offer Salah a deal on par with Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr, which is worth mo🍬re than £150m 🉐annually.

Salah could also be offered the role of to🎃urism ambassador𒀰 for Saudi Arabia, where the forward would also not pay income tax.

Perhaps most significantly, the player may also be tempted ♕by the promise of acquiring equity in whichever club he chooses.

Like Lionel Messi’s arrangement with Inter Miami, this wo💃uld likely come in the form of the option to take a st✱ake at a set price after he hangs up his boots.

For Salah, whose cultural influence in the Arab world is virtually unprecedented, this would provide a foothold in football finance – where the real money is made – tꦇhat would pay off long after he retires.

If the Pro Le🎀ague fulfils its ambitions ahead of the 2034 World Cup, selling that stake could be the ultimate nest egg for Salah, who could conceivably become one of football’s first billionaires as a result.

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How much can FSG afford to offer Salah?

If Salah does sign a £175m deal in Saudi Arabia, that will equate๊ to over hꦛalf of Liverpool’s total wage bill.

It would also be w🦹orth more than, say, Everton have e𝔉ver earned from every revenue stream across a single season.

They are dizz🀅ying numbers and ones that FSG, who🙈se emphasis has always been on value and return on investment, would never match.

But how much c⭕ould they pay Salah, who is beﷺlieved to still be pressing for a three-year deal but is open to a shorter arrangement?

PSR is a non-issue for them. They have around £184m worth of headroom based on the most recent ♕accounts and reliable projecti✤ons from experts.

But FSG’s emphasis on sustainability me🤡ans they will not bankroll major losses, so any step-up in the wage structure would need to be fully accounted for with increased revenue across the business.

Turnover will increase past the £600m mark this sea🎐son and potential well beyond with a decent Champions League run.

The pote𒁏ntial exits of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk meanw𒊎hile, while disastrous from a footballing point of view, would free up another £30m per year.

And with a new deal with Adidas worth an extra £30m annually set to kick in from the start of next season, there is no doubt that FSG have the flex to meet and surpass ⭕Salah’s demands.

FSG’s thoughts, however, will be on the precedent that bowing to a superstar’s demands in such a high-profile stand-off would set in future negotiations, and the impact that woꦇuld have on their future bottom line.