Why Mohamed Salah is yet to sign a new Liverpool contract

Liverpool superstar Mohamed has been described as thinking there is ‘something missing’ at Anfield with regard to his ongoing contract stand-off with the club.

Salah’s current deal only runs until the end of next season and he could feasibly sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in less than a year to lock in a move away as a free agent.

Despite manager Jurgen Klopp recently playing down fears, Liverpool fans would be forgiven for beginning to feel uneasy that one of the best players in the world – one who has scored 28 goals so far this season alone and 153 since he joined the club – could avoidably be on the move.

Klopp stated ahead of the weekend that Liverpool ‘cannot do much more’ to persuade Salah to sign fresh terms at Anfield.

“It's Mo's decision pretty much,” he said. "The club did what the club can do. That's how it is, nothing bad to say about it. It's all fine, from my point of view it's exactly like it should be in this moment in time. Nothing's happened further, no signing, no rejection or whatever.”

But Salah himself would appear to have different ideas. Klopp’s comments on Friday were met with a response from Salah’s agent Ramy Abass Issa on social media. There was no direct context to it, but soon after the Liverpool boss had spoken, the agent tweeted several laughing emojis.

In January, Salah gave a conflicting point of view, insisting it is the club in control of the situation.

“I want to stay, but it's not in my hands. It's in their hands,” he told GQ. “They know what I want. I'm not asking for crazy stuff. The thing is when you ask for something and they show you they can give you something. Because they appreciate what you did for the club.”

It was reported last week that contract talks between Liverpool and Salah have broken down since December and that he has ‘no intention’ of agreeing to the offer currently on the table.

• Mohamed Salah contract talks with Liverpool have 'broken down'
• Jurgen Klopp insists new Mohamed Salah contract is 'player's decision'
• Mohamed Salah claims Liverpool future is 'not in his hands'

In the wake of another Salah goal in another Liverpool win at the weekend, The Athletic has elaborated on the root cause of the ongoing contract stand-off.

For Salah, what is ‘missing’ – despite all of the obvious positives of being a Liverpool player – is a contract that is ‘representative of his status as one of the greatest players on the planet’. In short, it seems that Liverpool won’t – or can’t – pay him what his form suggests he is worth.

It is said there is no concern about Salah wanting to leave or pining for a new challenge or the chance to join a particular club. Instead, it is about ‘money, respect and recognition’. As of right now, it is thought Salah earns around a third less per week than Jack Grealish, a player who cannot even come close to matching the Egyptian’s output on the pitch.

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