Liverpool may find it difficult to hang on to Mohamed Salah unless they land some silverware, according to former Anfield hero Luis Garcia.
Salah has recaptured his form of last season in recent weeks with five goals and four assists in his last six matches after a nine-game barren spell in front of goal.
Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho all left Liverpool for Barcelona in recent years, and Garcia fears Salah could be tempted by a move to the Spanish champions, or their rivals Real Madrid, if the Reds do not start winning trophies.
“If Liverpool wins trophies then I think it will be much easier for the club to keep Mo Salah,” Garcia told The Mirror.
“We know that Barcelona and Real Madrid will be in the market for the best players in the summer. And if you talk about the best players in the world right now then Mo Salah must be included.
“I have seen the talk that Barca and Madrid are interested in him and we have seen in the past with Suarez and Coutinho how difficult it is for players to say ‘no’ when they get the chance to sign for one of those clubs.
“If Barcelona or Real Madrid come you will be flattered. They are probably the only two teams that a Liverpool player would think about signing for.
“At this moment, though, I think Liverpool are a different club than what they were. They are now a club with the potential to win the big trophies.”
Garcia, who won the Champions League and the FA Cup during his time with Liverpool, believes Salah would fit into any team in world football, but places the forward just behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of overall quality.
“There is no doubt that Salah would be a star at Real Madrid or Barcelona because he has such fantastic quality,” Garcia said.
“I have heard people compare him to (Lionel) Messi. For me, that is a little too much, but he does have that speed and skill and he could perform for any team in the world.
“In my opinion, he is just behind Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo – at the same level as (Eden) Hazard and (Raheem) Sterling.”
