Liverpool - Mo Salah contract talks hit HUGE obstacle

Mo Salah’s contract situation has been one of - if not the - key storyline at Liverpool so far this season.

Yet to be signed on beyond the end of this season, Liverpool fans all around the world are waiting with bated breath to see what the Egyptian’s future will be.

READ MORE: Liverpool could FINALLY end agonising nine year wait to complete MASSIVE deal

Salah has made it clear that he wants to engage with the club about a new deal, and recent reports are indicating that he has been willing to go against his own desires for a longer contract to ensure that he is able to stay at the club.

However, one detail ahead of next season could mean any potential contract talks have already hit a snag. Because even if Salah were to stay at the club, Liverpool would be without him for a significant portion of the 2025-26 season.

Why will Liverpool be without Salah?

This is because of the schedule of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The tournament, commonly abbreviated to AFCON, will run between 21st December 2025-18th January 2026.

And as Egypt have qualified, this will almost certainly leave Liverpool Salah-less for the all-important Christmas period next season if he were to still be at the club.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had previously committed to staging the tournament outside of the traditional European season, but the introduction of FIFA’s new Club World Cup in this period stymied that.

And with the expanded Champions League format putting the final two matchweeks into late January, the CAF were forced to move AFCON back from its traditional mid-January-mid-February dates.

Egypt disappointed in the 2023 version of the tournament, losing on penalties in the Round of 16 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Salah didn't play in that game, having already returned to Liverpool to rehab an injury picked up earlier in the tournament.

Egypt are also the most successful nation in AFCON’s history, winning the tournament seven times, but their last victory came in 2010. As a result, Salah will almost definitely want to try and add this distinction to his extensive trophy cabinet before he retires.

The club are, of course, doing their due diligence on any and all potential replacements. The latest of these is Rayan Cherki, a tricky winger currently plying his trade at Lyon who is as comfortable operating in attacking midfield as he is out on the right.

READ MORE: Mo Salah strikes Liverpool agreement after DRAMATIC negotiation shift