Mo Salah warned he risks LOSING Liverpool ‘hero status’ by STAYING at Anfield amid worrying contract prediction

Liverpool are hoping Mohamed Salah will sign a new contract at Anfield, but one of their former players has suggested the forward may be just as at risk of losing his ‘hero status’ by staying at the club as he would by leaving.

Along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, Salah is currently the centre of attention due to his contract being in its final year. Liverpool have offered new deals to all three players, but are yet to reach an agreement with any of them.

There is no doubting how successful and important all three of them have been at Liverpool, but any decisions they make over where to play from next season onwards could impact their legacies. For example, some may not look too kindly on Alexander-Arnold if he leaves for Real Madrid. But in Salah’s case, a pundit has explained why the Egyptian King could be worried about staying at Liverpool.

“Players come to the end of their contracts but I’m sure they’ve been talking, you don’t leave it until after Christmas, I’m sure there’s a lot going on,” Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock told Four Four Two prior to the Egyptian’s starring role in their crazy 6-3 win at Tottenham on Sunday.

“I’m sure Liverpool are trying their hardest to keep the three of them there, but as a footballer, you can’t blame them if they want to taste playing abroad, playing for Real Madrid – for a young player like Trent, you can’t really blame him.

“For the older lads like Salah, I can also understand. Why would you stay a couple more years if you don’t think you’re going to be the player you were and you lose that hero status?

“There will be a lot of conversations going on between the players, the people who look after them and the club, there’s a lot to weigh up. For all three of them, I hope they stay, but you can also understand it if they go.”

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Salah showing no signs of slowing down

While a time will come when Salah is no longer as potent as he has been in his prime, that still appears to be a long way away.

This season, at the age of 32, Salah has 18 goals and 15 assists already – with two each in Sunday’s mesmerising win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He has become the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures for both goals and assists before Christmas.

Currently two goals clear of Erling Haaland in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot, it seems like Salah is still well in his prime.

Liverpool have seen some of their better players decline at a similar age in recent years, so Ruddock’s warning might not be completely outlandish, but Salah is in exceptional shape and could star for years to come at Anfield – if he puts pen to paper on a new deal.

Latest Liverpool transfer news

Various pundits have theorised that of the three, Alexander-Arnold would be the most likely to leave Liverpool, since his older teammates may struggle to find a club as strong after leaving.

But a recent report tipped Real Madrid to have Van Dijk on their shopping list as well as Alexander-Arnold, with two of their current centre-backs at risk of being replaced.

And Real Madrid aren’t the only club Liverpool need to be wary of when it comes to trying to keep Alexander-Arnold, since another of the world’s biggest clubs now seem to be in hot pursuit too.

In more promising news for the Premier League leaders, Arne Slot has supposedly encouraged a move for a Barcelona star.

IN FOCUS: Salah’s sensational form