First victim of Mo Salah’s new Liverpool deal named with 51-cap star ‘pushed towards exit’

Liverpool may still be celebrating the contract renewal of Mo Salah at Anfield, but not everyone on Merseyside is particularly enamoured by the Egyptian’s bumper new deal, with one player now reportedly considering his options and with a surprise transfer avenue opening up.

Salah has proved one of Liverpool‘s most influential and most important signings since arriving from Roma in a bargain £36.9m deal from Roma in summer 2017. Having gone on to become the club’s third highest goalscorer of all time in his eight seasons on Anfield to date, tying him down to a new two-year deal, running to summer 2027, could prove one of the club’s best pieces of business of the summer.

Salah’s new contract, worth an estimated £400,000 a week, means the Egyptian will also go down in the history books as the highest-paid Liverpool player of all time, breaking his own previous record of £350,000 a week.

However, news of his extension has reportedly not gone down well with everyone at Anfield and fresh reports claim that Federico Chiesa – signed in a £12.5m (€15m, $16.6m) package from Juventus last summer – is not particularly happy at the news.

The Reds brought in the Italy winger last summer as something of an insurance policy against the possibility of Salah leaving at the end of his contract and amid strong interest from Saudi Arabia in the Egyptian.

But after arriving at Anfield carrying an injury, it took months for the 51-times capped Italy star to get up to the required standard to force his way into the line-up.

Now with Salah having committed his future to Anfield for two more seasons, Italian outlet Calciomercato claim the news has pushed Chiesa closer to the Anfield exit door, with the star increasingly concerned by what he expects to be another worrying lack of minutes if he hangs around.

READ MORE 🔴 Real Madrid sour on Spain star as Liverpool near exquisite first summer signing

The five teams linked with a move for Federico Chiesa

Reports over the weekend surprisingly claimed Chiesa will be offered an opportunity to remain in the Premier League this summer with three unnamed suitors rumoured to be clambering for his signing.

And while a return to Italy looks favourable for the former Fiorentina and Juventus man, the report also stated that AC Milan have emerged as the Serie A side most likely to move for the 27-year-old, who has just two goals from 12 appearances for the Reds so far.

However, according to Calciomercato, Chiesa also has the opportunity of a move to an entirely new country and league with Fenerbahce also said to be closing monitoring his situation and having become aware that his potential departure could be on the cards.

Despite that, Bild journalist Christian Falk insists Chiesa has no intentions of walking out on the Reds this summer and is more determined than ever to prove himself to Slot next season.

“Not true: Ex-Bayern candidate Federico Chiesa wants to leave Liverpool in the summer,” Falk began in his Fact Files column. “He wants to fulfil his contract until summer 2028.

“He was also not interested in the winter interest from Napoli, Inter Milan and Lazio because he wants to assert himself on Merseyside.

“The fact that he has had problems so far is due to his two injuries.”

And on claims he could leave, he concluded: “He wants to show Liverpool this season just how valuable he can be.”

Chiesa’s father, Enrico, himself a prominent former Italian international, also revealed in an interview that the player is determined to fulfil the four-year deal he signed on Merseyside last summer.

“I can guarantee that Federico’s very happy at Liverpool,” Enrico said. “We hope he can win the Premier League, we have no regrets about Juventus. He’s so happy at Liverpool.”

“He is there to play his cards, he has a great chance. This summer I told him what I have been telling him since he was little. Because, in reality, until he was 15, he didn’t play often and when he asked me, ‘What should I do?’ I told him to keep training, not to give up, to be ready when his time came.”

Liverpool latest: First summer deal imminent; Leicester starlet eyed

Meanwhile, Liverpool are being backed to finalise their first summer signing early in the window, with a prospective deal for a £50m Spain star now potentially just 39 days away and with the “main spanner in the works”, Real Madrid, having cooled their interest.

Elsewhere, the Reds are likely to quickly veer away from their growing interest in Hugo Ekitike after the Eintracht Frankfurt striker’s price skyrocketed in a move branded “outrageous” and with Arne Slot and Richard Hughes now forced to turn to another option.

And finally, the Reds are being tipped to seal the signing of another incredible teenage talent, with Hughes aiming to pull off a transfer coup with the addition of a quality Leicester City starlet in a move seen as a repeat of their Rio Ngumoha raid on Chelsea.

How Chiesa’s game time has dwindled at Liverpool