Mohamed Salah has signed a new two-year Liverpool contract, ending a years-long saga and securing the future of an all-time Premier League great.

Salah’s contract situation — along with that of fellow Liverpool stars Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold — has dominated discourse around the club, despite their strong 2024-2025 season which will likely end with a first Premier League title in five years.

The uncertainty around Salah’s future and the pressure from Liverpool fans to sign the 32-year-old to fresh terms have only been amplified by his extraordinary output this season — the Egyptian has a league-high 27 goals and 17 assists in only 31 matches.

But a recent breakthrough in negotiations and Friday’s announcement means that Liverpool can now focus on their remaining seven fixtures and planning for next season with Salah, one of the most prolific players in the club’s history, in their squad.

He's staying. pic.twitter.com/AnhqQjUg7g

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 11, 2025

Salah’s 184 Premier League goals are an all-time team high for Liverpool and puts him joint-fifth in league history. He has 243 in all competitions for the Merseyside club, putting him third in team history, and has won the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups. Since joining from Italian side Roma in 2017, Salah has twice been named African Footballer of the Year and has twice finished runner-up with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

“It’s great, I had my best years here. I played eight years, hopefully it’s going to be 10,“ Salah said in a news release following the announcement. ”(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.“

Liverpool had allowed Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold to enter the final year of their contracts, a situation in soccer that often ends with players walking away on free transfers. And while Van Dijk is also close to re-signing with Liverpool on a deal until 2027, Alexander-Arnold is being courted by Spanish side Real Madrid.

Madrid have been able to speak to Alexander-Arnold about joining them since January 1, when he entered the final six months of his Liverpool contract, and are working to conclude a deal that would sign the 26-year-old England international sign for free.

Salah’s deal was completed following several months of negotiations led by sporting director Richard Hughes with the Egyptian and his representative, Ramy Abbas Issa.

‘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.

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.

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.

Slot: ‘Keeping such a quality player shows Liverpool ambition’

Liverpool head coach Slot said Salah’s new contract can benefit Liverpool’s summer recruitment — and praised sporting director Hughes for getting the deal over the line.

“Maybe for the fans it’s a pleasant surprise but I’ve known for a bit longer that things were heading in the right direction,” Slot said during Friday’s pre-match press conference.

“It’s a big compliment to Richard (Hughes) that he achieved extending the contract of such a great player. As a free agent (this summer) he could probably have gone to any club in the world but he stayed at our club.

“The club, FSG, Richard, Michael Edwards, put a lot of effort into him extending. And effort mostly means money!

“Not only is it a good season this season, we want to make it a very good season next season as well and Mo is convinced there’s a fair chance we’re able to do that.

“If I put myself in the shoes of a player we might want to sign (this summer), it’s nice for them to see that Mo has extended his contract. But what helps the most is keeping such a quality player who has scored so many goals for us over the past eight years. It gives positive vibes. It shows how ambitious this club is.”

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