Mohamed Salah: The departure of the Liverpool striker is difficult but inevitable

Less than a year ago, Salah was sitting on a throne inside Anfield after renewing his contract and signing a contract until the summer of 2027.

His previous contract was due to expire in 2025, but given his numbers last season, where he topped the Premier League’s scoring and assist charts, those close to the situation insist Liverpool’s hierarchy have no choice but to offer him a new deal.

However, by December, Salah was benched – and then dropped from the squad entirely – following his dramatic interview in the mixed box at Leeds, in which he claimed his relationship with Sloat had broken down and that someone at the club wanted him gone.

Those close to Salah say he would always speak up at Elland Road, regardless of the result, and that his initial dissatisfaction began when he sat on the bench for a Champions League match away to Eintracht Frankfurt in October, a match Liverpool won 5-1.

Sloat admitted that it was a difficult decision, but it was not suitable for Salah, who believes he should start every match in the Premier League and Champions League, given what he has done for the club.

Simply put, this was the first seed in which Salah would no longer be a starter, and given Liverpool’s £450m summer spending including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiki, the direction of their attacking strategy was clear. Salah knew he wouldn’t be the main man anymore.

In the weeks leading up to that controversial interview, he had become upset after meetings with Liverpool’s management, including sporting director Richard Hughes, where it was made clear that he could sit on the bench.

His penalty in the interview was to be let go on a trip to Inter Milan, but three days later, Salah came off the bench against Brighton and bagged an assist, with Slott saying after the game “There’s no problem to solve.”

From there, Al-Masry traveled to the African Cup of Nations while the club held talks with his agent Ramy Abbas, and when Salah returned to England in January, those close to the situation felt that there was a verbal agreement between the player and the club to part ways this summer.

Last month, BBC Sport reported that a summer departure was becoming increasingly likely.