Mohamed Salah has put further pressure on Liverpool to give in to his contract demands by hinting that he could have the same longevity as Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 29-year-old has been locked in negotiations over a new deal throughout the season, publicly claiming that money is not his priority when it comes to extending his five-year stay at Anfield. Instead, it appears Salah wants a lengthy offer to remain on Merseyside, despite turning 30 by the beginning of the next campaign.
While Mirror Football understands that there has been a breakthrough in recent weeks, and manager Jurgen Klopp remains upbeat on the situation, the man who will have to sign on the dotted line still remains unsure on his future. Salah believes that he could replicate the likes of Manchester United superstar Ronaldo by continuing to play at the very top well into his thirties. "I didn't think about the fact I'm going to turn 30," the Reds winger told FourFourTwo.
"I ask some players and they say it's a different feeling when you turn 30, but I don't know, I'm feeling fine. I'm enjoying life, I'm enjoying football – it doesn't matter how old you are now. Now you can see that with players – all of them extend their careers.
"You can see the top, top players always after 32, 33, you can see a lot of them – [Robert] Lewandowski, [Karim] Benzema, [Lionel] Messi, Ronaldo, Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], a lot of players; also [Edin] Dzeko in Italy, [Olivier] Giroud. All of them perform really well after 30, so I'm not concerned about that."
Those seven star names have all aged like fine wines, arguably upping their respective games after critics had begun to write them off. With Lewandowski and Messi recently pipping Salah in the 2021 Ballon d'Or rankings, 37-year-old Ronaldo sits two places behind him in the race for the Premier League golden boot and Real Madrid talisman Benzema is the only player left in the Champions League with more goals than him in the competition this term.
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The Egyptian is keen to keep that good company for years to come, too, hoping to begin by signing a new contract on Merseyside. "I think the fans know what I want, but in the contract it's not everything about the money at all," Salah reaffirmed. "So I don't know, I can't tell you exactly. I have one year left and the fans know what I want.
"This club means a lot to me – I've enjoyed my football here more than anywhere, I gave the club everything and everybody saw that. I've had a lot of unbelievable moments here, winning trophies, individual goals, individual trophies. It's like a family here."
He also made it clear that he is not concerned about going into the final 12 months of his current deal without knowing his next move. "I'm not worried, I don't let myself worry about something. he season didn't finish yet," Salah stated. "So let's finish it in the best possible way – that's the most important thing. Then in the last year, we're going to see what’s going to happen."
