Salah signs Liverpool extension, dismissing Saudi speculation as 'noise'

Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract with Liverpool that will keep him at Anfield through at least the summer of 2027, the club announced at a formal presentation at Anfield on Thursday, where Salah appeared alongside manager Arne Slot and club chief executive Billy Hogan.

Salah addressed the speculation about a potential move to Saudi Arabia that had run throughout the winter window and into the spring. "It was always going to be Liverpool," he said at the announcement event. "This is where I belong. The noise from outside — I treated it as noise and nothing more." His agent, Ramy Abbas, confirmed in a separate statement that formal approaches had been received and declined. "There were approaches. He was not interested. That is the full story," Mr. Abbas said.

Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards described the contract extension as a priority for the club that had been pursued consistently through the period of speculation. "We never seriously entertained the idea that this could go another way," Mr. Edwards said. "There was never a real moment where we thought this could happen." He confirmed that informal enquiries from Saudi Pro League clubs had been received but said Liverpool had communicated clearly at each stage that Salah was not available for transfer.

Slot, who has managed Salah for his first full season at Liverpool, spoke about the player's continued quality and his value to the team's style of play. "He does not need me to explain what he means to this club," Mr. Slot said. "What I can tell you is that training with him every day, you understand very quickly why he has been at this level for so long."

Salah has scored 214 goals for Liverpool in all competitions and is 12 goals short of the club's all-time Premier League scoring record, held by Ian Rush. The contract extension gives him at least two seasons in which to surpass that mark, a milestone that several people at the club described as a significant factor in the negotiations.

The Egyptian forward appeared at the AXA Training Centre for full sessions on Monday and Tuesday of this week and attended a Liverpool club charity event with his family on Tuesday evening — normal activities that were later noted as inconsistent with the behaviour of a player on the verge of departure.

Salah, 32, has produced five consecutive seasons in which he has scored or assisted more than 30 goals in all competitions. He has won the Premier League title, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup with Liverpool.