Mohamed Salah is "as professional as Cristiano Ronaldo" and an all-time great at Liverpool, says Jamie Carragher, with one Reds legend calling for another to be handed a lucrative new contract.
Several senior stars in Jurgen Klopp's squad have penned fresh terms over recent weeks, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Andy Robertson committing their respective futures to Merseyside heavyweights.
Salah is said to be next in line, after reaching 100 Premier League goals in his last top-flight outing, and Carragher believes an Egyptian forward destined to secure a standing among Anfield greats of the past is deserving of another substantial pay rise.
What has been said?
Carragher has told Sky Sports: "While Liverpool have not spent big this summer like other teams, they have had a lot of players sign new contracts. The one that is yet to sign is Mo Salah.
"Now, he obviously wants a few quid. And rightly so. Good luck to him. He deserves it. He deserves to be one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League for what he has done since he came to Liverpool, he really does.
"He is never injured and year after year he is top goalscorer. He just is. That is what he is.
"I will say something else. When you pick your all-time Liverpool XI, there are positions where you just think, 'He is in.' Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, John Barnes, Steven Gerrard, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish. You could fill all those positions no matter what this team does.
"There is nobody you ever think of on the right. Mo Salah will be in that position when he finishes his Liverpool career. He will be in that all-time Liverpool XI. There is no doubt for me about that.
"When you think about strikers getting to 29 or 30, we talk about Cristiano Ronaldo being 36, that guy is a machine in terms of how he looks after himself.
"I think Mo Salah is as professional as Ronaldo, he looks after his body and I think there are a lot of years left in Mo Salah so I just hope this gets sorted sooner rather than later.
"You always debate about money, the player wants a bit more, the club wants a bit less, but that needs to be sorted. Fingers crossed it will because he deserves it for what he has done for Liverpool."
What is Salah's record at Liverpool?
Liverpool spent £36.5 million ($51m) bringing former Chelsea flop Salah back to English football from Roma in the summer of 2017.
An immediate return was offered on that investment during a 44-goal debut season that saw Salah land a Golden Boot and PFA Player of the Year award.
There was no stopping him from there, with Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and Premier League titles secured in one memorable 12-month spell - along with another top scorer prize.
Salah has remained a model of consistency throughout his time at Anfield, with 128 goals recorded through 207 appearances.
His current contract is due to expire in 2023, but Liverpool are making every effort to ensure that he gets nowhere near the final 12 months of that agreement.
Further reading
- 'Talks turn to Salah wanting more than Ronaldo'
- Elliott vows to return 'fitter, faster & stronger' from horror injury
- Why Liverpool boss Klopp considered signing Bamford