Ex-Liverpool teammate claims Reds showing lack of 'respect' to Mohamed Salah

Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has claimed the club is not showing enough "respect" to Mohamed Salah, who is on course to leave Anfield as a free agent in the summer.

Salah's current Liverpool contract is due to expire at the end of June and he is yet to agree a new deal. The fact that the 32-year-old is enjoying one of the all-time great individual seasons has only added fuel to the fire, with Salah himself not afraid of speaking out.

Lovren, winding down his career with PAOK in Greece, spent just two seasons as Salah's Liverpool teammate, but the pair became close friends during that time and remain in touch.

The veteran centre-back has admitted advising Salah to put himself first.

"I have to be careful what I say now, because I know a lot of things. Everyone wants him to stay, and I called him one day and said: 'Mo, you have to think about yourself. Look at everything you've given this club and what you can still give'," Lovren told WinWin.

"In the end, I came to the conclusion that the club doesn't respect him enough."

Salah went public in November with the assertion that he was "more out than in" at Liverpool after not receiving a contract offer. A deal was reportedly put on the table by early December, but Lovren suggests that the Egyptian national icon is still "closer to leaving than staying at the moment".

Lovren added: "Money is an important factor, but he is worth more than money and the question is: who will replace him? Who will give you what Mohamed Salah offers? If you want to replace him, I think you need to spend €200m, and the question remains will he offer what Salah offers?"

Salah is already eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas side. But while Lovren claims his friend has "started thinking about a new step", there isn't a "specific club" on the scene.

Despite everything, Lovren thinks Salah that would prefer to stay: "He loves Liverpool, a lot, and he wants to stay, and that's the most important part. Maybe he sees himself retiring there, I'm not entirely sure about that. But, in the end, it's about other people!"

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