Mohamed Salah is reportedly refusing to budge on his belief that he is worth £400,000-a-week in wages at Liverpool.
While Kop boss Jurgen Klopp insists talks over a new contract for the Egyptian forward are heading in a positive direction, the stumbling block remains that Salah understands what his value is to the Anfield club.
As per the Mirror, it will cost Liverpool in excess of £80million to pay him what he wants over the course of a new four-year deal.
That would shatter the club’s strict wage structure under owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
But Salah knows he can earn more elsewhere should the club try to cash in on him in the summer or wait for his contract to expire in 2023.
The ex-Chelsea man has made it clear that he doesn't deem his demands to be excessive, the report adds, and it would cost Liverpool a huge amount of money to replace someone of his quality.
That's what Jamie Carragher thinks, anyways.
"Salah wants to be paid as well as any top player in the Premier League or world football, and why shouldn't he? He deserves that, we're talking about one of the best players in the world," Carragher said on Sky Sports.
"This is not a case of giving the player exactly what he wants, but Liverpool Football Club and the owners, I don't think they would be forgiven if Salah left this club in the summer or in 18 months' time.
"He's a Liverpool legend, one of the greatest players the club has ever had, and it needs to be sorted sooner rather than later."
If Salah were to consider leaving, he would attract a number of top clubs in Europe, potentially even former club, Chelsea.
The Egyptian has often been vocal about how he needed to move on from his unsuccessful spell at Stamford Bridge, but if contract talks with Liverpool break down, it's surely a deal worth pursuing.
Salah holds all the cards and the Reds will not want his current deal to go into its final 12 months and then risk losing one of the best players in the world for nothing next year.
