The REAL reason behind Liverpool's Mo Salah contract stand-off

Mo Salah still hasn't signed a contract extension with Liverpool.

That's despite the fact that he has more goals and assists than anyone else, not just for the club, but in the entire Premier League.

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It's despite the fact that he is now very close to entering the last year of his contract and less than a month away from being able to openly negotiate with clubs from outside of England.

Salah has recently made it clear where he stands speaking to reporters after the Reds' victory over Southampton. That he feels like he is more 'out then in.'

On paper, Liverpool's reluctance to agree a new deal doesn't seem to make sense. So, what is really going on behind the scenes?

The real reason behind Salah's contract stand-off with Liverpool

With Salah's public statements, rumours of PSG entering the table for a potential free transfer and now The Athletic reporting Salah would be willing to agree on new terms for just one more year, it's easy to read in between the lines.

Salah wants to stay at Liverpool. If anything, he is beginning to stay at Liverpool. The reason why he broke protocols and decided to speak to reporters in the mixed zone after Southampton made that very obvious.

It was a public call out to the club, urging Liverpool to offer him a new deal.

Now the reports to PSG feels like Salah's camp trying to force Liverpool's hands. The fact that The Athletic reports Salah would be able to extend his deal for just one more year at Anfield is again a sign of desperation.

So, then, if Salah is so keen to stay, why is there a stand-off?

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The answer seems very obvious. Especially, if we look at the history of FSG as a whole, just take a look at the tale of Mookie Betts and the Boston Red Sox.

Liverpool are not keen to keep him or at the very least have reservations about him.

If Liverpool were as desperate as Salah to extend his deal, the two parties would have signed an agreement by now.

But the truth is, for some reason, Liverpool aren't in a hurry.

It's true Salah is 32 years old. He is entering the twilight of his career. There's no guarantee he will continue to be at this level in two or even three years time. Although we are confident he will, the club certainly doesn't seem to think so.

That is why there is a stand-off between the two parties. It's not that Salah wants to leave or pursue another challenge, it's that Liverpool don't seem to be very keen at keeping him.

Just as they have done with other ageing stars in the past, the club seems very open to letting Salah leave upon the expiry of his contract. Something that would be an utter catastrophe.

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