Chelsea's potential new Sporting Director Michael Edwards could have a big say in where Mohamed Salah ends up next summer, especially if Liverpool aren't able to agree a new contract extension with the Egyptian amid the current wage stand-off with his agent Ramy Abbas.
With Marina Granovskaia stepping down from her position on the Chelsea board of directors, new owner Todd Boehly is looking to replace the Russian-Canadian with a new Sporting Director and two names, in particular, have emerged as the early frontrunners in this race. First off, Atletico Madrid's Andrea Berta is understood to be highly interested in the vacant position which Boehly is filling in temporarily this summer. But the preferred option as per various outlets is former Liverpool director Edwards, who stepped down this season. Julian Ward took the reins off him in Merseyside.
Where exactly the man well-liked by Jürgen Klopp ends up this summer remains to be seen as he goes on a break from football but an early return to action in West London is one that is seen to have 'great appeal' to both himself and owner Boehly, who wants to run Chelsea more like Fenway Sports Group (FSG) do at Liverpool, both on a day-to-day basis and in the transfer market.
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Considering how well Edwards did under the FSG regime, he would appear to be the right profile of person the LA Dodgers part-owner can trust in the transfer world to conduct smart business without wasting too much excess money, something Granovskaia failed to do with her last significant action in splashing a whopping £97.5million on club-record signing Romelu Lukaku.
That has backfired badly, with the Belgian now on the verge of sealing his much-wanted loan return to Inter Milan. To avoid these issues occurring again, Chelsea need to battle Manchester United in trying to convince Edwards that their project is the right one for him.
If he was to sign though and become the latest member of the new Boehly-Clearlake board, what could this mean for transfer activity in the near future? Well, Liverpool star man Salah still hasn't agreed a new deal due to disagreements over wages. The Reds will prioritise getting the 30-year-old signed on a new deal now that Sadio Mane has joined Bayern Munich.
But if they were to fail in the next round of negotiations, the doors could open to numerous Premier League clubs to swoop in for a winger who has proved himself to be one of the best players in the world during his five-year stay at Anfield.
His 219 goal contributions would be much appreciated at Chelsea in Thomas Tuchel's flexible system, despite initial fears that Manchester City and Newcastle would be at the front of the queue for a player who reportedly would want to stay in England, even if he cannot agree new terms with the 2021/22 Champions League runner-ups.
Edwards played a big part in identifying and agreeing a rather cheap £38million with Roma for someone that failed to impress Jose Mourinho during his short SW6 stay. That type of talent identification and smart recruitment is something that is appreciated by Boehly. Maybe, the good relationship Edwards has with Liverpool's No. 11 could prove key in the next summer's transfer window, especially if the contract standoff wasn't to be resolved from here on till next summer.
Chelsea fans- Would you like to see Mohamed Salah return next summer if the opportunity arose? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments section!
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