Mohamed Salah exit could soften blow if Liverpool misses out on Champions League

Liverpool could face the prospect of missing out on a place in next season's Champions League, but Mohamed Salah's impending exit could soften the financial blow that would bring

Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season(Image: Getty Images)

Missing out on a place in next season’s Champions League is a prospect that is becoming more and more likely for Liverpool, which would result in the club losing millions.

The Reds’ hopes of securing a spot at Europe’s top table again are very much in the balance. With only seven Premier League games remaining, it is looking like Arne Slot’s team will have to rely on England getting an extra spot in the competition again.

Liverpool is currently fifth, and sits five points behind Aston Villa and just the one ahead of Chelsea. Brentford and Everton are only three points behind as well, making the Reds’ position all the more precarious.

With performances in the league continuing to stagnate, there is a very real possibility that Liverpool will miss out on a place in the Champions League for just the second time in 10 years. That would bring with it a steep drop in earnings.

As per The Athletic, the last time Liverpool dropped down into the Europa League during the 2023/24 season, UEFA prize money fell by £50 million ($66M), resulting in a record £57.1 million ($75.3M) pre-tax loss for the club.

The Reds stand to lose even more if they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League. They’ve already banked around £95M ($125M) by reaching the quarter-finals, compared to less than £35M ($46M) for Tottenham after winning last season’s Europa League.

That would significantly impact the club ahead of the summer transfer window, although it does have one factor that would help to cushion the blow.

Liverpool is set to lose millions if it misses out on a place in next season's Champions League(Image: PAUL ELLIS, AFP via Getty Images)

With Mohamed Salah already confirmed to be leaving at the end of the season, Liverpool is set to wipe its top earner off the books, which would lead to a huge saving, despite no transfer fee coming the club’s way.

Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson has suggested the club could save up to $39.6M next season through Salah’s early departure, with the final year of his contract having been waived.

The Egyptian is the highest earner in Liverpool’s history, with his basic weekly wage standing at $533,000, and that’s before you take into account the bonuses that would take him even further beyond that figure.

Explaining the impact of Salah’s departure to Football Insider, Borson said: “Well, it’s just a trade-off really between his annual cost for Liverpool in that final season of between £25-30m all in and the fee that they could recover from elsewhere,” said Borson.

“Now, the problem that Liverpool have got, and the problem that’s around the league really, is where do players of his earnings go?

“In reality, Salah is only going to go to the US or to Saudi Arabia. It’s very hard to see that he would go anywhere else for that kind of money at that kind of age after this kind of season.”

Liverpool could of course still qualify for next season’s Champions League even if it misses out on a place through the Premier League. Winning this season’s competition would guarantee its place again, and also bring with it around $170M in prize money.

Of course, that is easier said than done, with the Reds set to face defending European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals, while one of Bayern Munich or Real Madrid will await the winner in the semi-finals.