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Liverpool are moving closer to agreeing a new contract with forward Mohamed Salah.
Talks between all parties are ongoing and a final agreement is yet to be reached, but sources have indicated the club have made positive progress in their efforts and are hopeful a deal will be done.
Salah’s deal expires at the end of the season and there has been some uncertainty over his future, with clubs in Saudi Arabia keen to land the Egypt international.
But the recent progress has raised hope at Anfield that Salah will extend his stay at the Premier League club.
Salah has been a key player for Liverpool since his arrival in the summer of 2017 and has been central to the team’s title charge this season, scoring 32 goals across all competitions.
Earlier this week, captain Virgil van Dijk – whose deal also expires in the summer – provided a positive update on his own contract talks.
“There is progress, yes,” said the defender.
“These are internal discussions and we’ll see. I love the club, I love the fans and they were there for us again [at Fulham].”
There is less certainty about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future, however, with the right-back in talks with Real Madrid over a free transfer move to Spain before next season.
From ‘more out than in’ to closing on a new deal
In his eight seasons at the club, Salah has established himself as a Liverpool legend, scoring in the final as they won the Champions League in 2019 before playing a pivotal role as the club ended a 30-year wait for a league title the following season.
But despite enjoying arguably the best season of his career and repeatedly stating his desire to stay at Anfield, the Egyptian reached the final months of his contract with seemingly no progress on a new deal.
After scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Manchester United in September, Salah told Sky Sports it was his “last year” and that he had not been contacted about a new contract.
In November, he told reporters he was “probably more out than in” at Liverpool, then a month later he said a deal was “far away”.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has faced questions about the futures of Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold in just about every news conference this season, and at the end of January he insisted his top-scorer was “wise enough to make the right decision” over his future.
The ongoing speculation has done little to impact Salah’s form, with the 32-year-old registering 27 goals and 17 assists in 31 Premier League games so far this campaign to take Liverpool to the brink of another league title.
