Mohamed Salah informs close friends that he made Liverpool transfer U-turn after receiving offer from La Liga giants - Reports 

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has reportedly (via The Mirror) made a “U-turn” after receiving an offer from La Liga outfit Barcelona. The forward supposedly informed his close friends that he was willing to sign an extension at Anfield but changed his mind after Barca promised him a switch in 2023.

Salah has been Liverpool’s standout performer in the Jurgen Klopp era. He has scored 120 goals and provided 47 assists in 180 Premier League games, winning the Premier League Golden Boot thrice and the Playmaker award once. His exploits have helped the Merseyside giants to a Premier League title, a Champions League trophy, and an FA Cup triumph, amongst other honors.

Keeping such an impactful player at the club is a no-brainer for Liverpool, but they have not had much luck tying him down to a long-term deal. The Egypt international will see his contract run out in 2023, meaning he will be eligible to leave the club as a free agent in just over a year.

As per Mirror’s report, Salah was initially prepared to commit his long-term future to Klopp’s side and even disclosed it to his “close friends.” But once Barcelona proposed to take him to the Camp Nou next summer, he decided to back off from the extension.

It is believed that the Blaugrana’s “verbal offer” has caused Salah to stall signing a new deal with the 19-time English champions.

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Liverpool must make a difficult Mohamed Salah decision in the coming weeks

The 29-year-old, who is up for the PFA Player of the Year Award this season, is currently valued at €100 million (via Transfermarkt). Assuming he is not keen on signing an extension with Liverpool, the English giants will have to make a tough call about his future.

The Merseyside club could either sell him this season or keep him around for the 2022-23 campaign. If they opt to sell him this summer, they could get a handsome transfer fee, but would have to fight on all fronts without their leading goalscorer.

With Sadio Mane’s future also uncertain (via Fabrizio Romano), Liverpool might not be in a position to lose the Egypt international this summer.

Letting him leave for free next summer is also an undesirable option. The forward is firing on all cylinders and still has a good few years left in him. Letting him leave for free would be considered a blunder by the Reds’ management.

It will be interesting to see which option the Anfield outfit opt for in the coming weeks.