"I don't want Liverpool to be held ransom" - Mark Seagraves offers bold opinion on Mohamed Salah's contract situation at Anfield

Former Liverpool defender Mark Seagraves has expressed his opinion on the contract standoff between Mohamed Salah and the Reds.

The Egyptian, who returned to the Premier League in 2017, has endured a meteoric rise at Anfield, establishing himself as one of the best players in the world.

In addition to being the highest-scoring (119) African player in Premier League history, Salah also became the quickest to score 100 top-flight goals for Liverpool (151 games). Notably, he is also the Reds' leading goalscorer (34) in the UEFA Champions League.

Salah has achieved unparalleled heights since his arrival from Roma, but the Reds have concerns surrounding his future at the moment. The 29-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract, which runs out in the summer of 2023.

While Liverpool have engaged in talks over an extension, both parties are yet to find middle ground and put pen-to-paper on a new deal.

Understandably, several clubs have been linked with a potential move for the forward in recent months amid the contract standoff. According to talkSPORT, the Reds' talisman is believed to be demanding £500,000 per week to extend his stay at Anfield and become the highest-paid player in the league. However, the Merseyside club are unwilling to match his demands.

In the wake of the uncertainty surrounding the situation, Seagraves told Sportskeeda:

"I don't want Liverpool to be held ransom by Salah and his agent. I think Liverpool have been good for Salah and I think he has been absolutely fantastic for the club. Between the pair of them, they need to do a deal that is beneficial to both.

"Say for instance, the figures are £500,000 or £400,000. That's all well and good but what happens then if Mane comes in and he wants £400,000 and then you have one bad season, the club could be crippled in debt."

Seagraves insisted he is not in agreement with fans requesting the club to pay the player 'what he wants'. The Englishman touched upon the consequences it could have on the team further down the line and admitted he would be open to cashing in on the Egyptian if there is no agreement over a new deal.

"I hate how supporters go, 'just give him what he wants', in an ideal world, that's fine but the consequences further down the line, Salah isn't going to be the same player four years down the line but he will be earning the same amount of money and that can't be right.

"If Salah wants too much and Liverpool are not prepared to pay it, I would happily let him go and get your £150 million, takes his wages off the bill and invest in somebody a little bit younger. He might not be as good as Salah now, but as we've seen with what they have done with Jota and Diaz, I'm going to trust the powers that be with the money to go out and get the right players."

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Seagraves urges Salah and Liverpool to 'compromise'

Considering how contract talks have not progressed for months now, Seagraves has urged Salah and Liverpool to 'compromise' to get the deal over the line.

He also touched upon how the recruitment model works at Anfield and reiterated on how the club must look at offloading the forward if there is no agreement in place.

"Salah has to compromise, Liverpool have to compromise and if one of them isn't prepared to compromise then I think he should go. It's the only business where you have a depreciating asset.

"The model at Liverpool is about getting young players in and if you can sell them later on, if you need to, then you're going to get a return on your investment.

"I'd love him to stay, I wish they could reach a compromise but if there is a stalemate and then the only situation is for him to leave, I wish him the best because he's done wonders for this club."

Jurgen Klopp's men return to action tonight (Wednesday) when they face Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final first leg at Anfield.

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Watch (Semi Final Leg 1) - Liverpool vs. Villarreal LIVE on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 28th April 2022, at 12:30 am IST.