According to The Mirror, former England striker Darren Bent wants Liverpool to consider selling Mohamed Salah if they have the opportunity to sign Jadon Sancho or Kylian Mbappe in the summer transfer window.
The report also claims that Bent had told talkSPORT that Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are more valuable to the Premier League leaders than the Egyptian.
Salah, 27, who came through the youth ranks of Arab Contractors SC joined FC Basel in 2012. Two years later, Chelsea signed him only to loan him to Serie A sides Fiorentina and AS Roma. The former club signed him permanently in the summer of 2016.
He made 83 appearances for Roma before returning to England with Liverpool. In his first season with the Reds, Salah emerged as the league’s Golden Boot winner with 32 goals. He continued the same form in the following campaign and was the joint top-scorer with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, each scoring 22 goals.
This season, the Egyptian is leading Liverpool’s goalscoring chart with 18 goals across all competitions. The 27-year-old has been an important player for the Reds, banging in goals regularly and saving them in the dying moments on several occasions.
On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund’s Sancho and Paris Saint Germain’s Kylian Mbappe have also been outstanding in their respective leagues. Sancho has contributed 15 goals and 16 assists in all competitions this campaign and Mbappe’s numbers are 22 goals and 13 assists.
However, Liverpool must retain the former Roma man since he has proven to make a huge difference in the toughest league in the world. Furthermore, his partnership with Firmino and Mane has flourished over the years. Bringing in Sancho or Mbappe would only potentially break an already well-oiled machine.
On several occasions, the Egyptian international has won games for the Reds on his own and has also become a favourite at Anfield. Therefore, letting Salah leave would not be a good idea.
Liverpool need to win more trophies to be dominant in England and Europe. Salah has already done enough to prove his worth – most notably, scoring in the final of the Champions League last season. Therefore, it would be wise of the club to avoid temptations and keep hold of their star forward as long as they can.