Mohamed Salah issued a damning statement on his Liverpool future following Sunday's win over Manchester United but it isn't the first time he's put transfer pressure on the club.
The Egyptian has entered the final 12 months of his current deal at Anfield and as things stand, the Reds are yet to do anything about it. Should nothing change before January, the 32-year-old could agree a pre-contract agreement with another club.
But speaking to Sky Sports following the recent 3-0 victory over Manchester United, Salah offered no signs that he wants to leave Liverpool anytime soon and made it clear how much he's enjoying his football.
READ MORE: Arne Slot responds to Mohamed Salah’s exit warning after Liverpool contract message
READ MORE: Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler outlines Mohamed Salah contract ultimatum after 'last year' admission
Nonetheless, he still mentioned how this is his last year at Anfield and that Sunday's visit to Old Trafford could very well be his last in a Liverpool shirt.
However, this isn't the first time Salah has found himself in this situation. Prior to agreeing his current deal in the summer of 2022, which extended his contract from 2023 to 2025, speculation surrounding his future began as far back as December 2020 - two-and-a-half years before his deal was due to expire.
Only that time, there was intense speculation regarding a move to Real Madrid , while fellow La Liga giants Barcelona were also credited with an interest. In the end, this played into the Egyptians hands in negotiating a new deal.
Speaking to Diario AS in December 2020, Salah spoke of his desire to break every record at Liverpool - yet whether he'd be at the club long enough to do so was 'out of his hands'.
"I'm always trying to score goals to help the team to win the game. There's a good chance to be a third time top scorer again. But the most important thing is to win something, to win the big trophies with the team. That's the most important thing," he told the Spanish paper, as per Tribuna .
"I think I have broken a few records, I wish I could break all the records for the club, that would be nice. But yeah, it's just like I said again, the team comes first before any record."
Then, after being asked whether he would consider a move to Spain in the future, he said:. "I think Madrid and Barcelona are top clubs... We never know what is going to happen in the future, but right now I'm focused on winning the Premier League and the Champions League again with my club.
"Right now I can say that everything is in the club's hands. Of course, I want to break records here and, I repeat, every record in the club, but everything's in the hands of the club."
Eighteen months later, Salah would finally end speculation surrounding his future by signing a new three-year contract worth an estimated $72million (£55m/€65m), seeing him earn a salary in excess of $460,000 (£350,000/€416,000) a week in his final three years.
At the time, Salah openly said he would see out his deal rather than allow himself to be sold, but he never hid his preference to commit his peak years to Liverpool. More than two years down the line and history appears to be repeating itself.
However, in order to ensure the unthinkable did not happen, a Liverpool delegation led by director of football Julian Ward saw negotiations accelerate within a matter of days, finishing with Salah putting pen-to-paper on a fresh deal while on a family holiday in Mykonos.
Now, as Salah begins his eighth season in Liverpool colors, has once again left the Reds with an 'ultimatum' designed to force the club into offering him a new contract.
"As you know it's my last year in the club," the Egyptian told Sky Sports on Sunday. "I just want to enjoy it and not think about it. I feel I'm free to play football and we'll see what will happen next year."
Comments / 0