Alan Shearer believes that Liverpool would cash in on one key player in January if they were to receive a ‘ridiculous offer’ for him.
The first few days of September saw Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad lodge a £150m bid for Mo Salah, but the Anfield hierarchy promptly rejected it and reiterated their not-for-sale stance on the Egyptian.
It’s now been almost a fortnight since the transfer window closed in the Middle East but the 31-year-old’s future continues to be widely discussed, and the Premier League’s record goalscorer thinks the Reds could blink during the winter if another sizeable offer comes their way.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football Podcast, Shearer said: “If you’re getting north of £150m for someone of that age… I get why it didn’t happen because they came in so late and wouldn’t have had time to get a replacement.
“But, if they know they’re coming back in January with a ridiculous offer then they’ve got time to find a replacement and again it depends on where they are I think. But I think they’d bite at £150m in January.”
In purely objective terms, it’d probably make perfect sense for Liverpool to accept £150m or more for Salah in January, given that he’d be into the final 18 months of his contract and will turn 32 next June.
However, to analyse it solely through that prism would be to ignore just what a special footballer he’s been ever since he joined the Reds six years ago, racking up 188 goals to become the club’s fifth-leading scorer of all time – more than the likes of Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler and Kenny Dalglish (lfchistory.net).
The Egyptian continues to make a massive difference for Jurgen Klopp’s team, too, contributing to at least one goal in his last 11 Premier League games either side of the summer and already claiming two goals and four assists in his first five matches of the current campaign (Transfermarkt).
The closure of the transfer window until January at least gives Liverpool time to line up potential replacements if Salah follows Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Bobby Firmino in being tempted to Saudi Arabia.
However, if the Egyptian keeps making an impact on the scoreboard in almost every game between now and then – and history suggests that he will – the Anfield hierarchy could once again tell prospective suitors to take their money and interest elsewhere.