Mo Salah confirms ONGOING Saudi talks

Nine months into a tireless Premier League season, Liverpool finally made a contract breakthrough.

The Reds had looked for all the world that they would be successful in their league title charge, but a grey cloud was hanging over the team - the three major contracts that were set to expire.

READ MORE: Arne Slot’s PROMISE to Florian Wirtz that sealed the deal

Mohamed Salah specifically had spoken countless times to the media about his intention to sign a new deal, but every update he offered was always a negative one, with the club and his team finding it incredibly difficult to find common ground with each other to agree a new contract extension.

But despite all this outside noise, the Egyptian's form on the the pitch never faltered, and eventually, the fans received the news that everyone had been waiting for. On April 10, the club announced that a new deal had been penned to prolong his stay at the club until 2027 - a decade on Merseyside.

Although as much as Liverpool were Salah's priority, a move elsewhere was a genuine possibility.

Salah: 'Playing in the Saudi League was a good opportunity'

Last week, it was announced that Salah was to be the recipient of the Football Writers' player of the year, which is an award that is decided by journalists covering the Premier League.

At the ceremony, he sat down with Ismail Mahmoud at WinWin, and disclosed what he was thinking while Liverpool struggled to offer him a contract extension with favourable terms for him to stay.

He said: "I though playing in the Saudi league was a good opportunity. It thought if I didn't renew my contract with Liverpool, I'd go and play in Saudi Arabia. But in the end, I agreed with Liverpool.

"I was open to the idea of playing in the Saudi league. I have a good relationship with the officials there, and it still is ongoing. They were very welcoming of the idea of me joining, and they valued me very much.

"Liverpool fans were part of the process of renewing my contract. They put pressure on the board because I've been at the club for seven years, I knew from day one that they wanted me to stay."

As such, it seems as though Liverpool was always his number one option, but it took a gargantuan effort for all the puzzle pieces to finally fit together. Fortunately, a compromise was reached.

The Egyptian's quality, nor his longevity were ever real concerns, but the club has always been wary about offering big contracts to players in their 30s, and so understandably the negotiation was tough.

He now remains the highest paid player at the club, and justifiably so. At 32, he is still world class.

But this is not to say that the interest from Saudi Arabia has magically gone away. When the summer of 2027 arrives, we are likely to have yet another conversation about where Salah's future lies.

In the interview, he added: "I will stop playing football when I feel like it. I think I can continue until I am 39 or 40. I don't know if I will continue at Liverpool during that period or not, but I am happy now, and I will continue with Liverpool for two seasons."

READ MORE: Liverpool ready move to sign £55m forward

Of course, we'll have to wait and cross that bridge when we get to it, and the stance about a deal new might well have changed by then. But for the time being, let's just enjoy Salah while we have him.

READ MORE: Liverpool line up £60m move for IDEAL Nunez upgrade