No doubt some supporters would not countenance such a sale. Selling the Egyptian king could be seen as sacrilege. But would they let him go for a billion pounds? The answer must be yes, so the rest is haggling. The job of Liverpool’s decision-makers is not to dismiss such talk out of hand but work out the fee at which folly would become financially savvy.

That is true of every Liverpool player, of course, but Salah turns 28 in June. At that point he will be the same age as fellow forwards Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. All three can lay claim to being at the peak of their powers, but that is actually part of the problem. The trio risk growing old together if Klopp is not proactive in freshening up Liverpool’s forward line.

Speaking to the former Liverpool manager Roy Evans recently, he was reflecting on how the club relinquished their position at the top of the English game after that previous league title win some 30 years ago. The failure to plan effectively for the future, allowing the team’s world-class players to fade away, was an error that proved costly.

When you are top of the league,” Evans told Sky Sports, “you have to make sure that you keep dominating and keep bringing in players who are able to keep you in that position.”

In truth, Liverpool were also guilty of discarding players too soon back then. Peter Beardsley and Ray Houghton had more to offer. John Barnes stayed and provided many more years of fine service but he was never quite the same again after the hamstring, calf and Achilles problems that he suffered at the age of 28. It can be a tricky time for a wide forward.

Salah’s decision-making can still improve. The mental side of the game could yet allow for greater consistency. But that explosiveness on which forwards rely – and he was recently clocked among the seven fastest players in Europe – risks being compromised in the years to come. He might be able to adapt his game but what is certain is that he will have to.

What sort of player will Salah become two years from now? Klopp has already adjusted his position in order to maximise his strengths, often deploying him in a more central role and relieving him of the defensive duties that are customarily assigned to the right winger.

It is a recognition of Salah’s key qualities – running through on goal to great effect from that inside right channel. But it is also an acknowledgement that he has become much more effective there than when up against the full-back one-on-one out on the flank.

This is the key point for Klopp – it is clear that he has a winning formula but that winning formula is dependent on the characteristics of the personnel in his team not the identities of those personnel. These characteristics are sure to evolve over time and the challenge facing the Liverpool manager is to ensure that he maintains the optimal blend at all times.