Micah Richards believes that one Liverpool player would legitimately be worth £100m or more in two years’ time.
Earlier this month, the Reds received an offer of £150m for Mo Salah from Al-Ittihad, but that was given short shrift by the Anfield hierarchy, who stuck to their public stance that the 31-year-old isn’t for sale.
Not even the closure of the Saudi Pro League transfer window 13 days ago has halted the discourse surrounding the Egyptian’s future, though, with Alan Shearer saying that he thinks LFC would sell if a similarly lofty bid is submitted in January.
However, Richards – who appeared alongside the ex-Newcastle striker on The Rest is Football podcast – sounded a different message to the Liverpool powerbrokers.
He said: “Don’t sell. No, don’t sell. I agree from a financial point of view, but just what he’s given the club. Salah will probably play for another seven or eight years.
“I think he has another couple of years at Liverpool and would still be able to demand £100m+ in even two seasons. I would say hold tight.”
It speaks volumes for just how phenomenal Salah is that, even though he’ll turn 33 in the summer of 2025, Richards believes the Egyptian would still be worthy of a nine-figure valuation from Liverpool – assuming he’s still at Anfield by then.
There may be a common perception in football that, once outfield players cross their 30th birthday, they’ve already hit their prime and are gradually on the descent in terms of their performance levels.
However, we’ve seen in recent years how the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have still delivered a consistent end product at a very high level of football well into their 30s.
Like that quintet, Salah is a ‘top level’ talent (to use Rio Ferdinand’s phrasing on TNT Sports) who deserves to be recognised alongside such elite company, hence Richards’ belief that Liverpool’s legendary number 11 could still be worth £100m or more in two years’ time.
The moment will eventually come that the Reds would be best served to cash in on the Egyptian, but when you consider that he’s either scored or set up at least one goal in his last 11 Premier League matches (Transfermarkt), that parting juncture is still a sizeable distance away.