There was a brief social media storm on Wednesday in the hours leading up to the Merseyside derby at Anfield, as Mohamed Salah was spotted in Liverpool city center.
That in itself wasn’t newsworthy, but that the winger was wearing his full club tracksuit and was accompanied by a camera crew inevitably drew speculation that something bigger was afoot. With Salah, of course, the immediate suggestion on social media was that this had something to do with his future – was he possibly recording something at Liverpool’s iconic docks to mark an historic and significant announcement?
Alas, that is not the case. Liverpool.com understands Salah was recording content for the club’s channels but this had nothing to do with any contract announcement. However, the wave of social media activity is a reminder of just how desperate Liverpool fans are for Salah to pen a new deal.
And for good reason. The Egyptian is on course to win the Premier League Golden Boot and record the most assists in the top flight. He has 44 goal involvements this term and is on course to beat the record of 47 in a Premier League season. It’s why many believe he is currently enjoying one of the best individual campaigns in the league’s history.
Liverpool fans want to see more of that next season, something that is currently not on the cards given Salah’s contract expires this summer, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk.
But after months of negotiations, no new deals have been confirmed for the trio, although it’s believed Alexander-Arnold is off to Real Madrid. As for Salah, recent reports have tended to indicate he is close to signing a new deal, although the Telegraph reported on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia remains a possibility for the 32-year-old. It comes as Fichajes also claims Salah could leave Liverpool and is “preparing for a major change of scenery”.
The player hasn’t always looked to diminish the speculation that surrounds his future, with several cryptic social media posts over recent months and he has repeatedly said in interviews that this is his last campaign at Liverpool.
Salah has scored 32 goals in all competitions this season and provided 22 assists. He is on the verge of collecting a second Premier League winners’ medal and could reach 400 appearances for the club by the end of the season.
While uncertainty continues to swirl, one thing is for sure: Wednesday’s trip to town had nothing to do with a new contract.
