NO-GO MO

Huge profits show Liverpool no longer have to do a ‘Coutinho’ and sell Salah

LIVERPOOL believe their financial might will prevent Mo Salah following Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho out of Anfield.

The title-chasing Reds announced annual record pre-tax profits of £125million during the week as reports surfaced in Italy that Juventus are ready to offer Argentine striker Paulo Dybala and £44m to take Salah to Serie A.

But Liverpool will resist any bids for their Egyptian talisman – and this time they can back up that resolve with the muscle that comes with making huge profits.

The Merseysiders felt compelled to cash in on Suarez in 2014 when Barcelona agreed to pay £65m.

And they were unable to keep Coutinho (above) out of Barca’s clutches when the Catalan giants offered £105m for the Brazilian in January 2018.

But Liverpool have now entered a new financial era after owners Fenway Sports Group successfully turned the club’s worldwide appeal into cold cash.

A source connected to football finance said: “Liverpool are no longer a selling club.

“Despite what they have said in the past, when other big European clubs have come in with big money offers they have been forced to sell.

“That is no longer the case. Any club that posts profits of £125m can resist any offers.”

Jurgen Klopp took the Reds to the Champions League Final last season and once again qualified for Europe’s top club competition by finishing in the Premier League’s top four.

And after being bankrolled to the tune of £175m in the transfer market last year, the German is now in the race to land Liverpool’s first title for 29 years.

The club’s owners see Salah (right) as a huge part of the future.

He scored 44 goals last season following his £31.5m arrival from Roma and he has hit the target 20 times already this time – including 17 in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Andrew Robertson believes that reaching last year’s Champions League Final has convinced Anfield’s stars they can cope with the pressure of this season’s Premier League title bid. The full-back dismisses as nonsense stories claiming Liverpool players are struggling with a burden of expectation.

Robertson said: “We’re ready for it. In terms of pressure, we let everybody else, the media, the experts, talk about that. The only pressure on us is playing for Liverpool. That’s big enough. If we can deal with that, we can deal with anything.

“Last year everybody started talking about winning the Champions League and said we were under pressure. But we dealt with that, even if we just fell short at the final hurdle.

“So we have to keep going and go that one step further this time, in both competitions.”

Some predict Liverpool will crumble in the title race, but the reaction after draws against West Ham and Leicester didn’t surprise Robertson.

Liverpool bounced back with a victory over Bournemouth and he insisted: “We are here to stay. It is going to go right to the wire in the league.”