Many felt that Liverpool were wrong to reject Al-Ittihad’s transfer approach for Mohamed Salah in the summer, but a Lionel Messi comparison is starting to emerge.

Liverpool stood firm against Al-Ittihad’s late approach for Mohamed Salah in the summer, with the Saudi Pro League side waiting until late in the transfer window before testing the resolve of the Reds.

It’s likely that they or another top side in Saudi Arabia will soon return for the signature of the Egyptian, but Liverpool’s stance should be unchanged in January. Not only is there no replacement for him, but a comparison to Lionel Messi is beginning to emerge that is likely to see Salah enjoy similar longevity to that of the Argentina captain.

And Liverpool should already be thinking about his next contract extension.

Salah has already been compared to former Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben, a player also praised for his effectiveness in the latter stages of his career. But Liverpool’s star right-winger is different. Much more like Lionel Messi — as Salah gets older, he is beginning to balance creative ability with goalscoring.

Aged 32, for the first time in his career, Messi registered more assists for Barcelona in La Liga (21) than he did non-penalty goals (20). That was also the first season in which the current Inter Miami star secured over 20 assists.

Salah could be about to do the same this season, with four assists in the opening five league games. The battle for assists was once fought exclusively by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, but the Egyptian king now rules.

There has been a level of Messi-like precision to Salah’s creation this season, with a well-timed pass for Robertson against Wolves on Saturday, though the composure shown when he played through Darwin Núñez for the winner against Newcastle is also noteworthy.

Importantly, Salah’s assists are far from fortunate. He has created six big chances this season, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. While age is a factor to consider in terms of transfer calls, it is also crucial to recognize when a player’s performances are outside of the normal expected trajectory of a career.

Talks of a $248m (£200m/€234m) bid in January saw many state that Liverpool simply ‘had’ to accept an offer of that level for a “31-year-old”. Fortunately, those aren’t the people in charge of transfer decisions on Merseyside. Salah is much more likely to follow the path of Messi than anyone else, and could well achieve his goal of winning the Ballon d’Or in the next few seasons.

Jürgen Klopp, contracted at Anfield until 2026, is looking to evolve his Liverpool side this season, and despite parting ways with both Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, Salah looks as though he will remain a significant part of Liverpool’s forward line. As long as Klopp is here, then Salah should be too — regardless of any transfer offer that is proposed in January or next summer.