Liverpool Locking Up Dynamic Duo With Improved Contracts?

According to the Mirror, Liverpool Football Club are planning on offering Sadio Mané a new contract with substantially improved compensation terms in order to secure the player’s services for an extended period, despite the fact that Mané and the club are just two years into the current agreement that terminates in 2021. The same reports suggest that once Mané’s signature is secured, Liverpool will attempt to do the same in their contract with the man of the moment, Mohamed Salah.

The Senegalese forward, who arrived from Southampton for what seems like a bargain £34-ish million in the 2016 summer window, provided fans with a tantalizing reminder of what he’s capable of during the Reds’ Champions League clash with FC Porto. Mané’s confidence and decision-making may not be at their peak just yet, but a hat trick in the knockout rounds of Europe’s premier club tournament can be the boost he needs.

If there’s any accuracy to the rumors, Mané may be in line to nearly double his current £80,000 a week salary, which would catapult him into the stratosphere where the club’s highest earners reside (and which would reflect the rapidly rising wage levels of the best players in the top leagues). Recent arrival Salah, whose current weekly compensation is already in the six digits, could see an offer of similar or better terms, especially if he continues his current goalscoring exploits.

These reports follow ongoing noises about the club attempting to extend and improve Roberto Firmino’s contract, which runs through the summer of 2020. Firmino, Mané, and Salah of course comprise Liverpool’s current preferred attacking trio, and given the havoc they have collectively wrought in the Premier League as well as on the continent, it’s not surprising at all that the club are focused on making sure the three stay together for as long as possible.

As the Coutinho saga reminded everyone, no contract ever guarantees a player’s long-term services, but assuming Liverpool do indeed secure all three signatures on new contracts, the club will at least have done their part to ensure economics aren’t a significant factor if one of those players starts making eyes at another club. As for the non-economic considerations, Jürgen Klopp will be primarily responsible for making sure that the club remains an attractive employer.

Liverpool’s approach further indicates that cash inflows from transfers may not be completely funneled towards new acquisitions (not that this was ever a realistic expectation), and that the slider could be moving a little more towards the wage chest and away from the war chest. Sometimes, the best acquisitions are the ones you’ve already made.