Liverpool and Rodrygo could finally get what they both want if Mohamed Salah is right

“I'm probably more out than in.” Nearing the final six months of his contract, Mohamed Salah is well aware that, as things stand, his Liverpoolcareer is slowly edging towards its end.

He wants to stay, of course. While supporters, coaches and team-mates alike all hope that he is still plying his trade at Anfield next season. But the Egyptian’s public admittance that he is yet to receive a formal offer from the club - and is consequently disappointed with his situation - was enough to set alarm bells ringing.

It is understood that there remains a willingness on both sides to reach an agreeable conclusion, with discussions that are said to be positive and constructive ongoing with Ramy Abbas, the Colombian lawyer who represents Salah.

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But that does not alter the fact that in just 35 days, the 32-year-old will be free to agree a pre-contract agreement with overseas clubs. In little over six months, as things stand, he will become a former Liverpool player.

In an ideal world, a resolution is reached between club and player. But Reds bosses will also have to be conscious of the possibility that they could be in the market for a replacement for their long-serving Egyptian King next summer.

And if so, they might well have to take a small step outside of their comfort zone. Rather than purchase potential, they would need a finished article to replace a player who has returned 223 goals and 97 assists - and counting - from 367 appearances since 2017 while winning every major honour along the way.

Whoever is called to fill Salah’s shoes, whenever that might be, will be handed the most unenviable and impossible job accompanied by the most intense pressure.

Liverpool have avoided such a cloud when targeting successors for the two departed members of their famous attacking trio - Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Luis Diaz was brought in from FC Porto six months before the Senegalese's exit to Bayern Munich, while both Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo were brought in in the two windows prior to the Brazilian’s own departure.

Making step ups from Liga Portugal and the Dutch Eredivisie respectively, the trio were given time to bed in quietly alongside the players they would eventually replace. By the time Mane and Firmino departed, their feet were already firmly under the table as they side-stepped any potential scrutiny completely.

Salah’s would-be successor will be afforded no such liberty, should he depart next summer, given the forward’s expiring contract status remains a dark cloud overhead.

Liverpool have been linked with a number of possible replacements for the Egyptian over the years, with it recently reported by the Times that former manager Jurgen Klopp had even suggested Manchester United flop Antony before Salah signed his last contract extension back in 2022.

The 32-year-old’s longevity has ensured that the Reds bosses have so far not needed to push the button on a potential successor. But the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Raphinha and Leroy Sane have regularly been speculatively touted over the years.

And despite being a right-footed right-winger rather than inverted, Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has also found himself frequently linked with his own move to Anfield.

The 23-year-old has rejected a move to Liverpool in the past, declining a €3m switch from Santos back in 2017.

“We didn’t close the deal because I didn’t want to,” he told the Guardian. “I wanted to stay at Santos even though the offer was very good.

“The pathway they promised me would also have been very good for my career. I was going to finish my studies in England to prepare for European football.

“It had always been my dream to play in Europe. Everything was very good, but my desire spoke louder. I wanted to stay at Santos and make a bit of history at the club.

“And that’s what happened. I was able to fulfil my dream of playing for Santos. But it’s true, I almost went to Liverpool.”

Only 16 at the time of rejecting Liverpool, the Brazil international instead signed his first professional contract with Santos before going on to join Real Madrid in a €45m deal in June 2018. He has since helped the Spanish giants win the Champions League twice - including at Liverpool's expense in 2022 - and has also won three La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup, and two European Super Cups.

A consistent performer for the Spanish giants, he has returned 57 goals and 43 assists from 231 appearances. Yet it is over the last two seasons where he has really excelled after cementing his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI, boasting 61 goal contributions (39 goals and 22 assists) from his last 123 games.

Admittedly, such totals are not yet at Salah’s level. But there is no stage greater than Real Madrid. And Rodrygo has been performing despite having to share a stage with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham.

The Brazilian was overlooked for this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist despite his efforts in helping Real Madrid win a La Liga and Champions League double, and went public with his frustration at such a snub.

"I was upset, I think I deserved it," Rodrygo told ESPN back in September. "I don't want to belittle the players who are there, but I think I had a place in the 30. It was a surprise... But there's not much I can do, I'm not the one who decides these things."

Meanwhile, he also conceded that he has had to be a team player at the Bernabeu and is shoehorned in around his global superstar colleagues.

"Often, I'm just filling spaces," Rodrygo said. "Is someone missing there? Put Rodrygo in. Is someone missing on the right? Rodrygo. Is someone missing as No. 9? Rodrygo. That's it. It may get in my way a little, but I'm a team player."

The Brazil international’s frustration is clear, with his situation unlikely to change following the summer arrival of Mbappe. He is even nicknamed ‘Milnerinho’ by Real Madrid supporters, in reference to the former Liverpool vice-captain James Milner and the pair’s shared versatility.

Currently sidelined by injury, he won’t be available to face the Reds at Anfield on Wednesday night. Given Real Madrid’s vast injury woes, his absence is an inevitable setback.

But, if the Reds do find themselves in the market for a Salah replacement, perhaps Rodrygo would be wise to consider such a transfer. At Real Madrid, he is evidently just another player. But at Liverpool, he could be something more.

With Rodrygo already proving himself on the biggest stage yet still young enough to get better and better, perhaps the Reds would be tempted to revisit previous interest.

Salah has been the Reds’ star player since joining 2017, after all, and would leave the biggest of vacancies to fill. But who comes after the Egyptian King?

If Rodrygo is fed up of being a support act at the Bernabeu, he could find exactly what he is after at Anfield.