Mohamed Salah's secret seven-year Liverpool trip could hold key to new contract

Mohamed Salah has just marked his seventh year as a Liverpool player. However, with his contract set to expire next summer, questions are being raised about how much longer he will stay.

The Egyptian forward is arguably the Reds' most successful signing in the Premier League era, having joined from AS Roma in June 2017 for a fee of up to £43.9m. With every major honour under his belt, including the Premier League and Champions League, and a record of 211 goals and 87 assists in 349 appearances, Salah's status as a club legend is undisputed.

Having recently turned 32, Salah has indicated that he plans to stay with the Reds this season. Despite interest from Saudi Arabia and ongoing speculation about his future, he remains a key part of Liverpool's plans for the upcoming year.

Liverpool are reportedly eager to speed up contract discussions with Salah, as well as with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose current contracts also run out in 2025. However, with Salah's contract due to end next summer, his future beyond this season is still uncertain.

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Interestingly, Liverpool and Salah were in a similar position two years ago before they agreed on an extension that made him the highest-paid player in the club's history. Although the deal was reached after lengthy negotiations, it was ultimately resolved quickly.

This time around, Jurgen Klopp's six-month-long farewell and a plethora of changes behind the scenes at Anfield have ensured contract talks have not been a priority until these summer months. Ahead of reporting back for pre-season at the AXA Training Centre at the start of next month, Salah is currently enjoying his summer holidays.

Along with posting a number of social media updates from the gym, he has also shared pictures of himself enjoying the sun abroad and posing topless by the swimming pool, with a scenic sea view in the background. Apart from making all of us currently not away on holiday incredibly jealous, such images do offer a reminder of Salah's contract breakthrough with Liverpool two years ago.

Then-sporting director Julian Ward led a delegation to meet the forward, who was on holiday in Mykonos at the time, to finalize the finer details of his most recent extension back in June 2022. A basic framework of his new deal had already been agreed following week-long talks, with negotiations closed and Salah's signature obtained during the secret trip to the Greek island ahead of the club's return to pre-season, with the Reds then announcing his new contract on July 1, 2022.

That announcement came out of the blue to onlookers, which does beg the question, with Arne Slot, Richard Hughes and co. now all officially three weeks into their new roles at Liverpool, has any such progress been made during the close-season this time around? With Salah on another secret trip before pre-season, there are some similarities that can't be avoided compared to last time around.

While Liverpool will have to wait until after Euro 2024 to progress with contract discussions for Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, there's no such obstacle when it comes to sorting out Salah's future.

The three players officially enter the last year of their contracts with Liverpool on July 1. It remains to be seen whether the Reds' management are planning another covert trip to sort out Salah's future before this date, or if his contract situation will remain unresolved into pre-season and beyond.