Mohamed Salah is claimed to have rejected an offer worth £500 million before signing his new Liverpool contract – which, based on his aims, may not be his last.
Salah will be a Liverpool player until at least 2027, and his decision to commit for a further two years is made all the more significant due to the scale of offers elsewhere.
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As Arne Slot put it, as a free agent the Egyptian “could [have gone] to probably every club in the world,” but he chose to make it a decade at Anfield.
According to BBC Sport‘s Sami Mokbel, Salah was made an offer from the Saudi Pro League which would have earned him “at least £500 million.”
That would include a signing-on fee and astronomical wages which could have exceeded Cristiano Ronaldo’s reported salary of £173 million per year at Al-Nassr.
Salah’s contract at Liverpool is worth a tenth of that package, with the 32-year-old reported to be earning £50 million over the course of his two-year deal.
It is unclear which Saudi clubs were most interested but the Mail‘s Lewis Steele has claimed that “as late as last Wednesday, Al-Hilal thought they still had a chance of securing his signature.”
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The journalist added: “It is understood the news that he was going to commit to Liverpool left them crushed. Proof, if it was needed, that Salah’s decision was shaped by history rather than finances.”
Staying at Liverpool gives Salah the opportunity to at least cement himself as the second-top goalscorer in the club’s history, while he is likely to also be eyeing a place behind only Kenny Dalglish as top assist-maker.
There is also the belief that, under Slot, the Reds will be consistently challenging for the top honours after a campaign that will see them lift the Premier League title.
Salah wants to stay at the top for even longer
While Salah will be 35 when his new terms expire, an interesting point in Mokbel’s report suggests he may not view this as his final contract with Liverpool.
He explains that “those close to the frontman believe he has at least another three years at the highest level,” as “his physique is optimum and his levels of professionalism are obsessive.”
Clearly, the protracted negotiations over this latest extension show that Liverpool themselves may be reluctant to hand Salah another deal beyond 2027.
But it certainly cannot be ruled out after the significance of his commitment amid eye-watering offers from the Middle East.
