Mohamed Salah drops huge Liverpool exit hint as contract saga takes fresh twist

Mohamed Salah has dropped his biggest hint yet that he will quit Liverpool when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Salah, 32, is in the form of his life as Arne Slot’s team are chasing down a Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup treble and is being touted as a Ballon d’Or winner. But the Egyptian winger is free to talk to foreign clubs with just three months left on his contract - and he has outlined how he wants to be remembered by the Anfield supporters when he leaves.

Asked if there had been any developments regarding a new deal, the Egyptian shook his head, smiled and said: "In a very polite way!" He added: "I want fans to remember that I gave it all to the fans, I gave it all to the city.

"I was here, I wasn't lazy, I just enjoyed my football and gave it all. I think that's what the city is about - they give you love and you have a connection with them because you give your all. I just want them to remember that I was here for eight years - and I gave it all.

"To be here for eight years is not something I take for granted. Playing at a top club like Liverpool, fighting for every trophy every year, is incredible. I feel like I’m in very good shape and trying to make sure that not only I improve but that the players around me are improving as well."

Salah has scored 30 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions this season. His consistency since arriving from Liverpool from Roma in a £36.5million deal in the summer of 2017 has seen him help the club win the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups as well as double FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Player of the Year awards.

Liverpool have been unable to offer him a deal that he feels ready to sign, with captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also out of contract in the summer. He would be a huge loss to the Merseysiders - with his influence off the pitch just as vital to his contribution off it.

In an interview with former Reds’ midfielder Steven McManaman for TNT Sport, Salah outlined how he has become something of a father figure to the younger players in Slot’s squad. Salah said: "You are not going to win the league alone, so you want other players around you to perform.

"That’s what I’ve been doing for the last few months, studying the games to understand what the other players like. In the past, when I was younger, I would just focus on myself on the pitch. I try to understand how the players feel so they can express their feelings and just be honest with me.

"It’s part of being a footballer. You grow up and give your experience to younger players. I speak to them in the (coffee) bar and also in the gym. If someone is annoyed they know I’m not going to snitch to the manager so they can express their feelings about the manager or themselves. I’m there to do the dirty jobs for the manager!"