It has been a story bubbling under the surface at Liverpool for some time and now the future of Mohamed Salah is about to be placed at the centre of their transfer agenda.
While Salah has looked fit and motivated at Liverpool's pre-season training camp in Austria in recent days, the debate over what happens next for the Egyptian maestro is about to be raised once more, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2023.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have been strongly linked with a move for Salah in recent months and while Liverpool are confident of agreeing a new deal with the 29-year-old, a decision on that contract extension needs to be made soon.
Talks with Salah and his adviser over a contract extension are planned in the coming weeks and Liverpool goal-scoring great John Aldridge believes the club will not allow the 29-year-old to run his contract down and leave on a free transfer.
Gini Wijnaldum did just that as he sealed a lucrative move from Liverpool to Paris Saint-Germain this summer and Aldridge believes Anfield club's owners will not let an asset of Salah's value leave for nothing.
"You can let it go to a year (left) on his contract, which is what they did with Wijnaldum and he saw it out," Aldridge said.
"Man United have done it with Pogba and if I'm Pogba, I don't sign a contract. Of course you don't. They've left it too late. You see it out and walk away for nothing. He will get £70million in his back pocket. It's not rocket science. United have left the door open for him to do that and from a Liverpool point of view, I hope he does!
"From a football perspective and a fan perspective, Liverpool have to do something (with Salah this summer). It’s a game of cards and the players hold all the aces. If you let them get into the position with one year left, you are only going to get beaten in the card game.
"Liverpool need to keep all their best players and he is one of them. He is on big money, probably the highest-paid player. Whatever he wants, they have to work it out between them.
"I wonder how much money a footballer want at the end of their career? I wonder how much cash people need to be happy and it borders on greed at times, but some players are very, very greedy.
"Liverpool need to sort Salah’s future out in the next few weeks, and if he isn’t going to sign a new deal, then a big decision has to be made on what happens next."