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The 2017-18 Champions League final is going to be a massive occasion as Liverpool and Real Madrid lock horns in Ukraine.
However, there could be a battle about to take place off the field as speculation continues to grow about the future of Mohamed Salah.
One season at Anfield
It's rare for a player to make a big money move in the summer, play one season at the club, reach the Champions League final and move on to another team ahead of the following season. That's exactly what could happen in the career of Salah and not only could the forward leave Liverpool after just one season, he could join their Champions League final opponents, Real Madrid.
Salah was not at his best against former club Roma in the Champions League semi-final second leg, as reported on Sports of the Day. It's unclear whether this was just a one-off, poor game from Salah or if playing at the home of his former club got to him.
Madrid stars unhappy
According to Don Balon, a Spanish outlet famous for its outrageous transfer claims, Salah has been stirring things up at Real Madrid and the club have yet to even submit a bid for the player.
Don Balon has said that Salah's wage demands have angered Real Madrid's stars, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos have warned the club's transfer chiefs they must not sign the Egyptian if he refuses to reduce those demands.
Salah is reportedly looking for €15m-a-year to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
While these are just reports and could easily be way off the mark, it presents an interesting problem heading into the Champions League final.
Focus on Salah
As mentioned previously on Sportsoftheday.com, Salah has become one of the biggest names in world football thanks to his exploits for Liverpool in the Premier League and Champions League. His goal scoring record has been phenomenal and he has propelled himself to the standards set in recent years by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Whether Real Madrid have a serious interest in signing Salah is unclear at this stage but with Gareth Bale being tipped to leave the Spanish capital this summer, there will be money and wages available to make a big signing.
On the other hand, this recent report of Salah causing problems among the big earners at Real Madrid could be a ploy to take his eye off the ball in the Champions League final.
If the press build up the match as being Salah in the shop window for Real Madrid and Ronaldo and Ramos unhappy about the potential move, it could be enough to see Salah's performance level drop in the game.
There is only so much attention and pressure one man can take and the focus of the footballing world will be on Salah come the May 26.
