The biggest sign yet that Mo Salah is LEAVING Liverpool

The clock is ticking on Mo Salah's Liverpool contract. Here's the biggest sign yet that he's off.

Exactly what's happening with Mo Salah this year isn't clear. The Egyptian's contract expires at the end of the season but is he getting a new one?

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Liverpool are hesitant. Salah turns 33 in June and the club don't like handing big contracts to players over 30.

A decline is around the corner for every player once they're in their 30s. That's not just a guess or a feeling from Liverpool - it's what pretty much all data tells you.

There are exceptions, certainly. Some players have maintained a high level deep into their 30s and approaching 40.

How many have been key players at genuinely competitive sides beyond 33, though? It's a very, very short list. A decline could kick-in at any moment and sometimes a player goes from truly elite to not at the top level in an instant.

Just look at Sadio Mane for proof of that. He was Liverpool's best player when he left in 2022, having performed magnificently and earning himself 2nd place in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

However, Bayern Munich did not receive that player. They bought that player - but Mane was no longer capable of performing at the top level by the time the summer was over.

Liverpool don't want to give Salah a massive contract over three years and then see a similar decline. They're terrified of it - let alone with Virgil van Dijk as well.

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At the same time, Salah is arguably the world's best player right now and he actively wants to play for Liverpool. The Reds could abandon their usual rule in order to take a chance on him for two years.

But we're thinking recent moves suggest that won't happen.

Liverpool's grand plan

Liverpool are planning a major overhaul of their forward line this summer, Anfield Watch understands. It should see several players move out, with several players coming in.

The idea is to give Arne Slot the attack he needs for his style of play. That's certainly not what he's got now - it's March and he's yet to really fall on a reliable, consistent front-three.

Cody Gakpo and Salah are in it but who's the third? Does Slot trust the backups at all?

Now, on the face of it, the fix there is easy: buy a striker. Liverpool are certainly linked with plenty, including Alexander Isak.

That would immediately give Liverpool something special - only, they're not stopping there. They want to tear everything up.

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And we think that points to Salah leaving the club. There's little need to take such a risk if he was staying.

Salah's departure, though, would need an overhaul. You can't replace him one-for-one as there is no right-winger on his level. Liverpool would lose goals, assists, and the essential framework of their attack.

And in that situation, you'd need to overhaul the lot. The rest of it is only as functional as it is because of Salah and swapping someone in for him who kept the style of play would leave you short on goals or assists or probably both.

So you can't just swap him, you need to change the entire system. Hence, an overhaul. A new winger, a new striker, and then maybe one or two more to improve you chances of getting it right.

An overhaul while keeping Salah just doesn't feel very 'Liverpool'. It's risky and almost needlessly so - just grab a top striker if he's staying.

Instead, the plan is to really shake things up - the kind of major transfer decision that only happens at Liverpool when something dramatic is happening.

Like Salah's exit.

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