Peter Crouch urges Liverpool star to 'fall in line' amid fears over wage structure

Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch believes Mohamed Salah must ‘fall in line’ and agree a new contract with Liverpool that works within their current wage structure.

Salah’s current deal at Anfield expires in the summer of 2023 with Liverpool desperate to tie him down to a new long-term contract.

However, recent reports claim Liverpool’s latest offer was rejected in December with talks between the club and the forward’s representatives breaking down since then.

Crouch is eager for his former side to agree a new deal with the Egypt international but warns a substantially bigger offer could rock the boat on Merseyside and upset the club’s other influential players in Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker.

‘If you give him what he wants, Van Dijk is almost as important, Alisson, where does it end?’ Crouch told BT Sport. ‘It then becomes a problem.

‘We all want to keep him and give him what he wants but he has to fall in line with what they are prepared to pay.

‘Make him the highest paid player but not above the structure you have. Liverpool as a football club will always be bigger than any individual.

‘There have been times when they have sold a player and we had thought it was unthinkable and they have always recovered. [Luis] Suarez, [Fernando] Torres was one of them.

Another former red in Steve McManaman has also urged the club to stand firm.

‘This thing about giving him [Salah] whatever he wants. I understand that but there has to be a point where Liverpool say this is what we can pay, that is our maximum.

‘I don’t think Liverpool will change their structure. you can’t compare his situation to that of [Kylian] Mbappe. It is not going to work, Virgil will want it, Alisson will want it, Jordan Henderson will want it.

‘The