Luis Diaz has opened up about how he feels about Liverpool’s contract talks with Mohamed Salah while on international duty in Colombia.
Diaz has been in great form and scored twice at Old Trafford in the Reds’ 3-0 victory over Man United.
But it was Salah who grabbed the headlines following his post-match comments, with speculation rife over his contract situation with one year left on his deal and Liverpool yet to offer him an extension.
Now, Diaz has been speaking to the media back in his home country and opened up about the “hard” reality of potentially losing Salah at the end of the season.
“It would be hard for us, as well as for Liverpool,” Diaz told Telemundo as per Semana.
“It will hurt a lot, he has a year to think about it, it is not easy at all.”
The Colombian also emphasised Salah’s importance in the dressing room and added he hopes the Egyptian does not depart for pastures new.
“He always talks to us, it would be very hard to lose a player as key as he is,” he explained.
“It is the teammate’s decision and it is respected, hopefully he doesn’t leave.”
The Liverpool Echo report Salah is “desperate” to stay, but Liverpool face a tough decision.
Traditionally, the club have been reluctant to hand out contracts to players around the same age as Salah.
At 32, he is entering the traditional twilight of a player’s career and it is unclear how long he has left at the top of the game.
However, Salah has proven since the start of the season that he is still in his prime and that Liverpool should make an exception, though whether the club is willing to do that remains to be seen.
Certainly the Liverpool dressing room, based on Diaz’s words, would be keen for Salah to stay at the club – and the vast majority of the club’s fanbase would also agree.
But there are plenty of things to weigh up for Michael Edwards and the club’s new sporting director Richard Hughes, including the Salah’s wage demands and the length of a potential new contract.
