Mo Salah is “desperate” to sign Liverpool contract – money not the “deciding factor”

Mohamed Salah is said to be “desperate” to put pen to paper on a new contract at Liverpool, with no interest in Saudi Arabia and money not the “deciding factor.”

Salah’s contract has become a hot topic over the past week, after the No. 11 claimed following Sunday’s 3-0 win at Man United that he had yet to be approached over an extension.

One of three key players whose terms expire at the end of the season, the Egyptian provided a timely reminder of his value with a goal and two assists at Old Trafford.

That Liverpool have not discussed a new deal with Salah so far has frustrated supporters, though it can be explained by the seismic changes off the pitch and a focus on the transfer window up until now.

Previously it had been half-expected that the 32-year-old had his sights set on a big-money free transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

But the Liverpool Echo‘s Paul Gorst has now brought word from multiple sources close to Salah that the forward is “desperate” to sign a new contract at Anfield.

Doesn’t want to be like Sadio

Salah is “thinking only of extending his stay as it stands,” Gorst writes, with Sadio Mane‘s downturn in fortunes since joining Saudi club Al Nassr among those he has “weighed up against the financial benefits” of heading to the Middle East.

Interestingly, the journalist adds that with Salah earning a basic £350,000 a week at Liverpool and around £1 million per week including various endorsements, money “won’t be the deciding factor for his next move.”

That could be key when it comes to negotiating terms with Liverpool, who may be reluctant to hand out a sizeable pay increase given his age.

Salah will turn 33 next summer and that has been held up as a reason why the club’s decision-makers could decide against extending his deal.

But it is also widely accepted that Salah is an athletic freak who continues to break records both on the pitch and in training – including pre-season fitness tests under new head coach Arne Slot.

During his interview with Sky Sports after the victory over Man United, Salah spoke about how he feels out of his “comfort zone” again after seven years working with Jurgen Klopp.

A major factor in his desire to stay at Liverpool, though, is that he and his family are firmly settled in the north west and his daughter is “one of the city’s people in his eyes.”