Fabregas doubts Salah will leave Liverpool

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas doubts Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool in the off-season because no one would meet the Reds' asking price.

Salah has excelled at Anfield since arriving from Roma for an initial £36.9million (€42m) last June, firing a double in Tuesday's 5-2 Champions League semi-final first-leg victory against his former club to take his tally for the season to 43 goals in all competitions.

The Egyptian's sensational form earned him the PFA Players' Player of the Year award and has led to links with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, although an astronomical figure would likely be required to tempt Liverpool into a deal.

Fabregas therefore believes his former Cheslea team-mate will remain on Merseyside next season, adding that Salah is at the right club.

"Right now, if you are Liverpool and considering the season he has had, I don't know how much you can ask for a player like him," Fabregas told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.

"I doubt that there is a club that can pay what Liverpool would ask for Salah. I'm sure Liverpool will not let him go easily. It's hard to see Salah leaving Liverpool, at least this year.

"Liverpool exploit his qualities to the maximum. Salah is talented, he is fast, he scores. Liverpool have players that open the doors to find Salah the space he needs.

"He has found the right place, the ideal time to shine, and he is doing a great job."

Fabregas thinks Salah's mentality strengthened during spells at Fiorentina and Roma, priming him to make a mark at Liverpool after an underwhelming stint at Stamford Bridge.

"I coincided with Salah in my first season at Chelsea [2014-15] before he left for Fiorentina. He was young, he hardly played, but you could already see that he had talent. He always worked very hard and he gave his all," he said, before discussing the role of Jurgen Klopp in the 25-year-old's stunning season.

"Football is a lot about confidence. The confidence that a coach can give you nowadays to achieve your best form is key.

"It is for a coach to play you in the right position, to help you, to make you improve - this is crucial. That's happened to Salah."