Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah admits the club are still “far away from any progress” on a new contract and he is in his “last six months” at the club, with his current deal due to expire in the summer.
However, he refuses to be “concerned or stressed” by the situation and is determined to enjoy what could be his final six months at Anfield by winning the Premier League for a second time.
The Egypt international’s contract has been a long-running saga, with teammates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold in a similar situation, but despite numerous public utterances about a lack of movement a solution appears to be no closer.
Salah, whose agent Ramy Abbas is understood to be attending Sunday’s match against Manchester United, is now eligible to discuss a pre-contract deal with European clubs but said he would not allow the off-field uncertainty to derail what he hopes will be a memorable season.
Clubs in the Saudi Pro League are also keeping a close watch on the situation.
In an interview with Sky Sports he was asked whether he believed his time at Liverpool was coming to an end he said: “So far, yeah. It’s the last six months.
“We are far away from any progress so we just need to wait and see.
“The thing in my head is ‘OK, if it’s my last six months, or last year, what do you want to see in the future? Do you want to look back and say I was concerned about the contract or I was stressed’ or do you just want to say ‘OK, I had an unbelievable season’.
“That’s in my head now. All the time now. If I feel that kind of distraction, I remind myself ‘You want to look back and you had an unbelievable season’. So that’s what I want to do.”
Salah, who has 17 goals and 13 assists this season, has won every club honour, with the exception of the Europa League, during his seven and a half years at Liverpool.
Ending the club’s 30-year wait for a league title in 2020 was tempered slightly by the fact Covid-19 regulations meant it was achieved behind closed doors and the players were not able to celebrate the momentous triumph with fans.
So, with Liverpool heading into the weekend six points clear with a match in hand, Salah has redefined his priorities.
“In my interviews over the last seven or eight years, I always say (I want to win the) Champions League,” said.
“But this is the first time I’m saying I really want to win the Premier League with Liverpool.
“It’s probably because we didn’t celebrate the one we won in the way we wanted (because of coronavirus restrictions) and also, coming back here too, it’s my last year in the club so you want to do something special for the city.”
