Mohamed Salah is set to sign a new two-year contract at Liverpool, with the Egyptian having turned down lucrative advances from Saudi Pro League clubs.
An official announcement over deals for both Salah and Virgil van Dijk is believed to be close, with the pair both in line for two-year extensions.
It comes after months of negotiations and a growing unease among supporters, who are already facing the reality of losing Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer to Real Madrid.
While widespread reports on Wednesday evening have stopped short of claiming terms are agreed it is now considered a formality for Salah and Van Dijk.
According to the Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe, this comes with Salah having informed suitors from the Saudi Pro League that he had no intention of heading to the Middle East this summer.
Bascombe reports that “Al-Hilal [were] long believed to be his most likely destination in the event he left Liverpool,” while Al-Ittihad also saw a £150 million bid for Salah rejected in 2023.
Salah “knows that he will still be coveted by the Saudis for as long as he is playing football,” and it is evident that his footballing ambition outweighs any desire for the wealth on offer in the revamped Saudi Pro League.
Of course, Salah will be paid handsomely over the next two years of his time at Liverpool, with the Times‘ Paul Joyce reporting that “a pay cut has not been on the agenda during talks.”
That indicates that the 32-year-old will retain his basic wage of £350,000 a week, which is the most Liverpool have ever paid a player in their history, though Egyptian journalist Ismael Mahmoud has claimed that could rise to £400,000 per week.
It was reported in 2023 that inclusive of his playing contract and image rights Salah earns closer to £1 million per week.
According to journalist Danny Gallagher, the key details of Salah’s new contract “had been in place for some time” but there had been “[a] delay brought on by built-in incentives, which was always expected to some degree.”
That would likely include goal and assist bonuses, for which the Egyptian is a regular provider, along with any further individual and collective honours.
Salah has risen to third and sixth in Liverpool’s all-time goal and assist charts this season, having scored 32 and assisted 22 in 45 games so far in 2024/25.
He is set to lift the Premier League title at the end of his eighth campaign at Anfield and is among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or later this year.
