Mohamed Salah signs new two-year Liverpool contract

Mohamed Salah has signed a new two-year Liverpool contract.

The Athletic reported on Wednesday Salah and team-mate Virgil van Dijk were closing in on new Liverpool deals.

Salah, 32, had entered the final months of his contract but a breakthrough in negotiations was reached and he has now signed through to 2027.

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“It’s great, I had my best years here. I played eight years, hopefully it’s going to be 10,” Salah said. “(I’m) enjoying my life here, enjoying my football. I had the best years in my career. I signed here because I believe we can win a lot of big trophies together.”

The Egypt international had previously said he was “probably more out than in” when he stopped for a rare post-match chat with the media following Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Southampton on November 24, adding that he was disappointed a formal offer had not been made at that point.

The Athletic reported on December 8 that Liverpool had made an opening contract offer to Salah. At that stage, despite confidence around Anfield that he would stay, an agreement was not agreed or close and uncertainty remained around his long-term future.

A deal was completed following several months of negotiations led by sporting director Richard Hughes with Salah and his representative Ramy Abbas Issa.

Salah has enjoyed another fine season and has scored 32 goals in all competitions, helping Liverpool open up an 11-point gap at the top of the Premier League. Since joining Liverpool from Roma in 2017, he has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

He has provided 243 goals and 110 assists in 392 appearances for Liverpool, making him the club’s third all-time top scorer, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.

Salah was one of three key Liverpool players whose contracts were set to expire in the summer, alongside Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Van Dijk is also close to a new contract through to June 2027, while Real Madrid are working to conclude a deal for Alexander-Arnold.

‘Salah proves he still has so much to offer’

Analysis from The Athletic’s Liverpool Correspondent Gregg Evans

Salah’s contract extension gives Liverpool a huge boost and takes away the uncertainty that has clouded this season.

Resolving contract situations regarding key personnel was one of the biggest challenges Richard Hughes inherited when he started work as Liverpool sporting director just over a year ago.

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Hughes had been negotiating with Salah and his representative, Ramy Abbas Issa, for several months with the long-term aim of keeping the top goalscorer at the club.

It’s been a long road but with the 32-year-old signing a new two-year deal, it will provide the perfect boost for Arne Slot’s side as they close in on being crowned Premier League champions. There has always been confidence internally at Anfield that Salah, alongside Van Dijk, would stay put.

Van Dijk is expected to join Salah in signing a new two-year deal at Liverpool(Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Alexander-Arnold, whose current deal also expires this summer, was a different case given his age and the fact that he had Madrid pursuing him. The 26-year-old England international is expected to complete a free transfer to the Bernabeu.

However, Salah and Van Dijk had both made it clear publicly that their preference was to remain at Anfield and their performances over the course of 2024-25 strengthened their hand in negotiations.

Salah is on the verge of completing one of the most successful seasons in history after already scoring 32 goals and contributing another 22 assists in 45 appearances

Owner Fenway Sports Group has previously been reluctant to hand out lucrative new deals to players in the twilight of their careers. However, Salah, who will be 33 in June, has proved he still has so much to offer, so this extension is a positive for Slot as he continues to plan for the future.

‘Salah’s goalscoring numbers are consistently elite’

Analysis from The Athletic’s Senior Data Analyst Mark Carey

What more can you say about a player who has made a habit of rewriting the record books?

Mohamed Salah’s name is already etched in Liverpool’s history, but another two years at Anfield could elevate him beyond legendary status — potentially securing his place as the greatest ever to wear the red shirt.

It is important to remember that contracts are given to players based on what they are projected to do in the future, not necessarily what they have done in the past. Of course, it helps to track how sustainable those numbers look, and Salah’s goalscoring numbers have been consistently elite since he joined Liverpool, with little sign of slowing down.

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Salah’s 184 Premier League goals puts him joint-fifth in the all-time list of goal scorers. By the end of the season, you would not bet against him being fourth on the list ahead of Andrew Cole (187). With the trajectory he is on, Alan Shearer might be sweating at the prospect of Salah’s new deal, with the 32-year-old undoubtedly having one eye on the competition’s all-time record as another one to add to his individual honours.

Given the astronomical standards he has set, anything more than three games without a goal is deemed to be a drought for the Egypt international. Tracing his goals per 90 minutes across his Premier League career at Liverpool, Salah has scored at a rate of one-in-two as a minimum for eight consecutive seasons. This season’s rate is closer to one in…. one — a remarkable return that is pushing to replicate his first campaign at the club.

Throw in the creative string he has added to his bow — no Premier League player has more assists than Salah this season — and you can understand why every Liverpool fan is breathing a sigh of relief to hear the news that he is staying on Merseyside.

Is Salah speeding up?

Analysis from The Athletic’s Data and Tactics Writer Conor O’Neill

Clubs are usually hesitant in handing out bumper contracts to attackers on the wrong side of thirty, and with good reason. Speed and stamina are core aspects of their role, and for most, these take a nosedive around these ages.

Yet Salah is far from ordinary, and takes immaculate care of his physical condition. Data from Skillcorner reveals that the 32-year-old is actually speeding up, recording a higher top speed this season (31.1 km/h) than in any of the six before this.

For a club that leans so heavily on data, Salah’s physical resilience won’t have gone unnoticed — and it helps explain why Liverpool are confident he can continue performing at a high level.

(MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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