Liverpool

Liverpool

Premier League • England

Liverpool told to sell world-class star in stunning bid to keep ‘phenomenal’ Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp and Mo Salah, Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp and Mo Salah have both been amazing for Liverpool

Paul Merson has hinted that Liverpool should consider selling elite forward Mo Salah, in a move which would give them the money to offer Jurgen Klopp an astronomical contract and prevent the manager’s exit.

Klopp has announced that he intends to leave Liverpool at the end of the season. While the German loves the club, the fans and the city as a whole, he has revealed he is running out of energy to manage at the very highest level. Klopp has helped Liverpool create a fantastic new squad so that he knows his successor will be able to challenge for silverware straight away.

The Liverpool players are determined to win as many trophies as possible for Klopp before the Anfield icon departs. They ticked the first one off on Sunday, beating Chelsea in extra-time to lift the League Cup.

Liverpool will now turn their attention to the FA Cup, as they face Southampton at home in the fifth round on Wednesday night.

The Reds also sit top of the Premier League table on 60 points from 26 games and will play Sparta Prague in the Europa League round of 16, too.

Reacting to Liverpool’s first cup triumph of the season, former Arsenal star Merson has labelled Klopp ‘priceless’ to Liverpool’s success.

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He has even suggested that Liverpool would rather lose star player Salah than Klopp, despite the Egyptian having netted 205 goals in 333 appearances during a prolific spell on Merseyside.

“If you are Liverpool, you’d rather lose Salah than Klopp,” Merson said in an interview with Sky Sports.

Jurgen Klopp ‘priceless’ for Liverpool

“Don’t get me wrong, Salah is one of the best players in the world. He’s arguably the best in his position.

“However, you just have to see what happened at Wembley on Sunday to see Klopp’s importance to Liverpool. He’s phenomenal.

“I was at Wembley and said right after the final whistle that it was the greatest achievement Klopp has ever had in football. Later on, he came out and said it.

“You can’t have anything but massive respect for Klopp. He doesn’t care about himself at all. He is just worried about the football club and his team. That is all he is worried about. Having a manager that is only concerned about the club, that is priceless.”

As Salah is wanted by super-rich Saudi Pro League teams, Liverpool could sell him for £150-200million this summer. This would give them huge money, which they would then be able spend on a potential new contract for Klopp. Although, Klopp has worked so hard for so long that it would be very tough to get him to change his mind.

Merson added: “To put those kids on at Wembley in a cup final against Chelsea, who have a World Cup winner and £100m-plus players, for Klopp to have done what he did and trust those kids, it was amazing. It was mind-blowing.

‘No other manager’ would have made Klopp move

“No other manager would have done it. He wasn’t worried about winning. It wasn’t about him at all and he just put his full belief in those kids.

“That will be massive for those young players and every one of them was outstanding. They all contributed to that win.”

The pundit added that the ‘biggest shame’ for Liverpool and their crop of exciting young players is that Klopp is leaving, as he is a manager who is willing to put his trust in rising stars.

Of course, selling Salah and tying Klopp down to fresh terms would solve this issue, but this will be extremely tough to pull off.

Instead, it is likely Liverpool will bring in former midfielder Xabi Alonso as Klopp’s successor.

Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed that Alonso is on the verge of making a final decision amid interest from both Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

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