Michael Owen has claimed the contract length is currently holding up Mohamed Salah’s new deal with Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s side are flying high at the top of both the Premier League and Champions League following their comeback win over Southampton.
Salah proved how key he remains to Liverpool with two goals against Southampton, taking his tally for the season to 12 in all competitions.
But the Egypt international is out of contract at the end of the season with negotiations ongoing.
Mohamed Salah could leave at the end of the seasonReuters
Salah gave an insight into his current situation with the club this week and put the onus on Liverpool to give him an offer.
“Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” Salah told the media after the match at St Mary’s,” he said.
“I’m probably more out than in. You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this.
“But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future.”
Owen, who spent eight years at Anfield before moving to Real Madrid, has criticised Liverpool for letting Salah’s contract run this far down.
The 44-year-old claims that Salah is holding out for a longer contract than what is currently being offered by the club.
“I think fans around the world will be very annoyed at the club,” Owen said on Optus Sport’s YouTube channel.
“If that’s the case — and I can’t imagine Mo Salah is gonna lie — it’s really bad from the club’s point of view.
Michael Owen is disappointed with Liverpool’s dealing with Mohamed Salah
PA
“What I hear is that Salah is wanting a longer-term contract. When you’re young, you want shorter contracts to keep the desirability, but when you’re older, of course, you want stability and to be secure.
“He’s as fit as a fiddle and he’s still banging them in but if he’s asking for five years or something, then rightly so the club will think.
“My sources tell me that it’s more of a term problem.”
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Mohamed Salah has scored 10 goals in all competitions this season
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Salah isn’t the only Liverpool player currently out of contract at the end of the season.
Both Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also in talks with the club over a new deal with the defensive pair currently free to talk to prospective new clubs in January.
All three players have been key to Liverpool’s success over the past few years and losing them all for free would be a significant blow to the club.