Mohamed Salah said it was a “happy day for everyone” after finally committing his future to Liverpool by signing a new three-year deal that makes him the highest-paid player in the club’s history.
Protracted talks with the 30-year-old’s agent failed to produce a breakthrough until recent days, with a Liverpool delegation led by new sporting director Julian Ward flying to see Salah while he was on holiday this week to seal the deal.
Liverpool are understood to have agreed to pay Salah around £350,000-a-week, although the new deal includes a number of performance-related clauses, meaning the striker will be rewarded according to the number of goals he scores or plays a part in.
“I feel great and [I am] excited to win trophies with the club,” Salah told Liverpool’s website. “It’s a happy day for everyone. I think it’s taking a bit of time to renew, but it’s all done now, so we just have to focus on what’s next.
“You see the last five or six years the team was always going [upwards]. Last season we came close to winning four but unfortunately in the last week of the season we lost two trophies.
“I think we are in a good position to fight for everything. We also have new additions. We just have to keep working hard, have a good vision, be positive and go for it again.”
Salah won his third Golden Boot in five seasons since joining from Roma in 2017 as Liverpool pipped Manchester City to the Premier League title by a point and scored 156 goals in 254 appearances. He previously said he would stay at the club next season, raising the possibility he could leave on a free transfer afterwards.
Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring for Liverpool against Manchester United in April. Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters
Although the Egyptian did not immediately commit to a new deal, it is understood that there has been a long-standing commitment between the two sides to reach an agreement – particularly following the departure of Sadio Mane for Bayern Munich. Salah’s contract expires in 2025, just after he turns 33, and his best years are ahead of him, according to Jurgen Klopp.
“It’s the best decision for us and the best decision for him,” the manager said. “I think he belongs to us. Now this is his club. Sure, it took a while, but that’s absolutely OK, and the best things are always worth the wait anyway. Mo is one of the best players in the world; it’s only normal to have things to sort out when you’re at his level. Big credit to Julian Ward and Mike Gordon [the president of Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group] for directing us to this destination.
Klopp added: “I have no doubt that Mo’s best years are yet to come. And that’s saying something, because the first five seasons here are the stuff of legend. From a fitness perspective, he is a machine – in the most amazing form. He worked hard at it and reaped his rewards. His ability and skill level has gotten higher every season and his decision making has also gone to another level.
Salah won the Football Writers’ Association and Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year awards last season and is Liverpool’s ninth top scorer. But he said last month he was “shocked” after finishing seventh in the 2021 Ballon d’Or despite another stellar season.
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Emulating George Weah – the only African player to win the accolade – remains a major boost for Salah, who will lead a rejuvenated attack in the absence of long-term sidekick Mane, with Liverpool signing Darwin Nunes from Benfica as a replacement.
“I’m so excited, I want to play with him,” Salah said of the Uruguay striker. “He has had a good season and played well against us, home and away. Also, Sadio is gone and I will miss him. He has had great seasons with the club so I wish him all the best. I also wish Darwin all the best to score a lot of goals for us.”
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