According to reports, Mo Salah is nearing a deal that would violate FSG’s golden rule at Liverpool.
With 32 goals and 22 assists, Salah is the front-runner to win the PFA Player of the Year award and a strong candidate for the Ballon d’Or. His contract expires in the summer, and his predicament has dominated most of the news this season.
The statement that Salah had not “received any offers yet to stay in the club” and was “probably more out than in” alarmed Liverpool supporters back in November, following a victory over Southampton, during a surprise interview in the mixed zone.
However, the Egyptian star is ready to prolong his eight-year stay at Anfield, in contrast to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is nearing a transfer to Real Madrid.
On Wednesday, many Liverpool writers delivered a bombshell: according to Paul Joyce of The Times, Salah is getting closer to reaching an extension deal with the Premier League leaders.
An agreement was “at the final stages” of the Salah discussions, according to Fabrizio Romano, who also mentioned that the talks had made good progress.
Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail also offered his opinion, saying that while there are little specifics on the proposed contract term, sources predict a two-year extension.
The Fenway Sports Group’s (FSG) policy prohibiting contract renewals for those over 30 would be violated by such a transaction.
But since Salah is still in excellent health and is still going strong at 32, it appears like they will make an exception for him.
Virgil van Dijk, the captain, will be 34 in July, although he is also expected to stay on Merseyside following a successful contract negotiation.
Additionally, a deal for the Dutchman would violate Liverpool’s prior policy about players in their 30s who were signed by the club during Michael Edwards’ tenure as sports director from 2016 to 2022.
In the summer, Edwards left Bournemouth to take a position at FSG as chief executive of football.
Van Dijk provides an update on the state of the deal.
When asked if there has been any progress on the contract front after Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Fulham, Van Dijk responded, “There is progress, yeah.”
“I don’t know we’ll see” was his response when asked whether that indicated he would be staying.
When Liverpool plays West Ham at Anfield on Sunday, they will be back in action and want to win to get closer to the championship.
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