Liverpool nearly lost their best player when Steven Gerrard was left feeling 'unwanted' by prolonged contract talks, and they could be repeating the same mistake with Mohamed Salah.

The man who most consider the club's greatest ever player, Gerrard, was nearly captured by Roman Abramovich's Chelsea in 2005 as the Reds took their time over a new deal.

Gerrard led Liverpool to one of the greatest trophy wins ever seen, but things weren't all well off the pitch

Mourinho was close to landing Gerrard as Liverpool dallied

Are the same thoughts going through Salah's head?

Liverpool managed to hold on in the final hours as Gerrard was slipping away, but the club appears to have not learned its lesson with current superstar Salah.

Described by some as the best player in the world on current form, Salah has been head and shoulders above the Premier League's other attackers this season with 16 goals and nine assists in 20 games.

Goal of the season contenders against Manchester City and Watford have left fans in disbelief at the Egyptian's talent as he continues to set the standards since his 2017 signing.

It had been non-stop good news when it came to Salah's love affair with Liverpool, but things have taken a turn as talks with owners FSG over a contract extension drag on and on.

Salah's in love with Liverpool's fans, but maybe not the club's negotiating team

Salah's current deal at Anfield expires in the summer of 2023, and he was expected to pen a new deal towards the end of the last campaign.

No announcement was forthcoming in 2021 though, and Salah started using names like Barcelona and Real Madrid to force Liverpool's hand, while he's now resulted to pleading.

Clearly desperate to continue at the club that took him to the top of the game, Salah has made repeated public statements to that effect, saying a deal is in Liverpool's hands.

Salah has said the ball is firmly in the court of Liverpool's owner John Henry

Klopp has had to reassure fans but an extension hasn't yet appeared

Manager Jurgen Klopp has had to calm supporters on more than one occasion, but those with long memories may be feeling restless after past events.

Off the back of an astonishing 2005 Champions League final win in Istanbul Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard stated his desire to stay at Anfield amid intense interest from Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

In his autobiography 'My Story' Gerrard recalled: "When I was interviewed soon after I had lifted the monster trophy up into the Turkish sky I made it clear that I expected to stay at Liverpool. 

"'I'm sure the manager and Rick Parry will want to sit down really soon and a decision will be made,' I said before I gave into jubilation. 'But how can I leave after a night like this?' I wanted to stay. But I heard nothing all through June and the first few days of July. 

Gerrard's greatest achievement came in 2005, but his club were still wasting time on a new deal

Mourinho was lurking and it was only an intervention from Gerrard's family that stopped the move

"It gave Chelsea, and especially Jose Mourinho, a chance to really get into my head. I'm still not sure, all these years later, why there was no approach from Liverpool to me."

Despite new ownership, Salah has similarly expressed discontent with his current contract situation, and Gerrard had revealed what feeling unwanted can do to a player.

"We made it all the way to the final in Istanbul, and the club knew that I was ready to commit myself to a new contract," Gerrard wrote. 

Gerrard confirmed his intention to stay post-match, but didn't hear anything

"I was expecting Liverpool to sign me up, especially as they had already spoken to Igor Biscan and Didi Hamann about their new contracts. 

"Looking back now, it seems as if they could have issued a contract offer in the week building up to Istanbul. Would even earlier not have been the perfect time to give your young captain a lift before the biggest game of his life? Sign him up and keep him secure.

"There was neglect in my situation in 2005. I don't know who was to blame – but should they have offered me a contract after the Champions League final? Yes. I think so. 

Gerrard inspired Liverpool with their first goal in the game, coming back from 3-0 down against Milan

Salah has since taken the title of Liverpool's best player from Gerrard, also winning the European Cup

"I still feel they should have come to me in the very next week and said, 'Let's sort this out.' It would have killed off all the speculation and saved everyone a lot of heartache."

A Premier League and Champions League winner with Liverpool, Salah recently stated he was 'not asking for crazy things' from the club, which sounds eerily similar to Gerrard's situation.

"I was also confused because I wasn't asking for anything out of the ordinary in terms of football's inflated economy," wrote the current Aston Villa boss. "I was asking for the going rate paid to a top midfielder in Europe. Chelsea offered more money, but that didn't matter."

Steven Gerrard to Chelsea (2004 and 2005)

Gerrard was so close to crossing the divide from red to blue

In the end he stayed to end his European career with the Reds

But will Liverpool have as much luck with Salah?

Gerrard eventually stayed at Liverpool despite being 'on the brink of signing for Chelsea' for £32million and spent his entire European career with the club between 1998 and 2015 before signing for LA Galaxy.

The England great spoke candidly about what effect feeling unwanted can cause in a player's decision making, and it's hard to feel Salah isn't currently having the same stress.

"I didn't want the abuse. I actually just wanted to play football, ideally for Liverpool, and to try and win a few more trophies," Gerrard revealed.

Will Salah get his deal? Or are FSG going to repeat the errors of previous owners?

"It was that simple – and yet everything had become so dark and tangled. I didn't feel wanted. I didn't feel they had acted as quickly as they should have done.

"I still understood how it felt to be flattered and chased. Mourinho, whom I admired so much as a manager, had also spoken about trying to sign me for Inter Milan in the season they won the Champions League."

Salah will likely be feeling some if not all of these emotions as he continues to prompt Liverpool's owners into a deal.

If a top club such as Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid were to suddenly appear, things may change quickly and the Reds will not have learned from their mistake.