Salah contract saga ends as Liverpool make announcement (VIDEO)
Mo Salah's future has been determined after an announcement from the Anfield club
Liverpool supporters are breathing a sigh of relief amid the news that the club's talisman Mo Salah has signed a new three-year deal to extend his stay at Anfield.
The 30-year-old Egyptian superstar had just 12 months remaining on his existing contract with the former English and European champions, and his future had become the source of much debate within European football circles - with several of the continent's biggest clubs understood to have surveyed the possibility of landing him on a cut-price deal this summer, or as a free agent next year.
But Salah and Liverpool drew a line through that speculation on Friday when they agreed terms to a massive £350,000 ($421,000) per week three-year contract, something which will be a significant boost to Jurgen Klopp just days out from his first-team squad reporting back to the club for preseason training.
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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 1, 2022
Salah, who has scored an impressive 156 goals in 254 appearances in five years with the club, celebrated the new contract, saying: “I feel great and [I am] excited to win trophies with the club. It’s a happy day for everyone.
“It takes a little bit of time, I think, to renew, but now everything is done so we just need to focus on what’s next.
“I think you can see in the last five or six years the team was always going [upwards]. Last season we were 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 have new signings as well. We just need to keep working hard, have a good vision, be positive and go for everything again.”
We’re delighted to announce that @MoSalah has signed a new long-term contract with the Reds! ❤️#SalahStays
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 1, 2022
Major news for Liverpool.
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) July 1, 2022
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There were real fears within the club that Salah may opt to leave, particularly after the first round of talks late last year broke down between both parties - but the significantly improved offer, which makes him the club's highest-paid player ever, convinced him to sign up for three more years.
The retention of Salah comes just days after his strike partner Sadio Mane left Liverpool to join Bayern Munich - with the prospect of losing both players in the same transfer window (or even within a year of each other) something which was likely the source of nightmares for the Liverpool faithful.
Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez has been drafted in from Benfica at great expense to fill the goalscoring void left by the Senegalese.
Salah and Liverpool's focus will now turn to their bid at reclaiming the Premier League crown from Manchester City, whose recent signing of Norwegian ace Erling Haaland is likely to make them an even more formidable opponent - but Liverpool, now reloaded with a content Salah, will certainly fancy their chances.