Liverpool's new highest earner emerges as Mohamed Salah gives up $535K-a-week contract

Liverpool will offload 12 percent of its annual payroll when Mohamed Salah departs at the end of this season, with captain Virgil van Dijk set to become the highest paid player at the club

Liverpool will save $27.8 million in wages once Mohamed Salah leaves in June(Image: Photo by Ben Roberts - Danehouse/Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah's decision to leave Liverpool will save the club approximately $27.8 million, as the forward - the Reds' highest-earner - has agreed to cancel the final year of his contract.

Salah announced on Tuesday that he would depart Liverpool at the end of the 2025-26 season, bringing to an end a stunning nine-year tenure that has seen him become one of the all-time greats. Salah signed a two-year extension with Liverpool toward the end of last season, boosting his weekly wage to $535,000.

The separation appears to suit all parties, with Salah given the freedom to explore the new chapter without the complications of a transfer fee, and Liverpool offloading its highest earner. With Salah set to be removed from the wage books, Virgil van Dijk will become the highest earner at the club.

Salah is not only the highest earner at Liverpool, but he has defined a golden era at the club since arriving from AS Roma in 2017. The Egyptian has made 435 appearances and scored 255 goals in all competitions, helping the club achieve silverware along the way.

Two Premier League titles and one Champions League success headline the list of honors over the past decade, but Salah has hit a slump since signing his new deal. Salah has scored five Premier League goals in 22 games, well below his usual standards.

Salah has also scored three goals in the Champions League, but a heated incident involving head coach Arne Slot at the end of last year created tension around Anfield. Salah and Liverpool have agreed that the partnership must end ahead of next season, allowing for significant reinvestment elsewhere.

Salah's tenure at Liverpool will end after a run-in with head coach Arne Slot(Image: Getty Images)

According to Capology, Liverpool's annual wage bill is $232.2 million, meaning Salah's contract made up almost 12 percent of that total. However, given his impact and legacy, that figure was justified.

With Salah set to leave, club captain Virgil van Dijk will become the highest earner with his $468,000 weekly wage. Behind Van Dijk is new striker Alexander Isak, who agreed to a $375,000 weekly salary when signing a six-year deal last summer.

Fourth on Liverpool's wage list is Cody Gakpo, who earns $335,000 on a weekly basis after signing a new long-term contract extension in August. New signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike both earn $268,000 weekly after arriving last summer.

Virgil van Dijk will now become Liverpool's highest earner

Liverpool has recently announced that Ryan Gravenberch has been signed to a new long-term deal, and the club is in negotiations with Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian midfielder has been Liverpool's star performer this season.

Alexis Mac Allister is another midfielder that Liverpool has yet to strike a new deal with, but the player is happy and not rushing to sign an extension. Liverpool failed to retain star full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold last season, who left to join Real Madrid in the summer.

One of Liverpool's main contractual focuses between now and the end of this season is defender Ibrahima Konate. The French center back earns $93,500 per week, but has yet to commit his future to Liverpool.

Konate could leave at the end of this season on a free transfer, but negotiations have been ongoing. With Salah set to depart, the club will need to find a new long-term replacement to star on the wing.