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After months of speculation that he would leave the club on a free transfer when his contract expired in the summer, star forward Mohamed Salah had finally put pen to paper on a two-year extension and the announcement had given everyone at the club's Kirkby training base a visible boost in the run-in to a Premier League season that looks set to end in glory.

"Mo's signed a new contract, has he?" a relaxed-looking Virgil van Dijk quipped as he passed by, taking in the rolling coverage of his teammate's extension.

But, with Salah and Van Dijk's services now secured until at least the summer of 2027, and only six points needed to seal only the club's second Premier League title since 1990, Liverpool are convinced that they are poised for more success in the years to come.



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Will signings follow Salah & Van Dijk renewals at Liverpool?

Beth Lindop explains why we can expect a big summer of Liverpool transfer activity once they've handed Virgil van Dijk a new contract alongside Mohamed Salah's.

How contract sagas unfolded

There have been few hotter topics on this season's footballing agenda than the futures of Liverpool's out-of-contract trio.

However, when Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold were in that position in the summer of 2023, Liverpool were in the midst of a seismic shake-up, with the departure of lauded sporting director Michael Edwards and his successor Julian Ward -- both now back working in a different capacity for owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) -- having left a vacuum of power behind the scenes.

January 2024's news that manager Jurgen Klopp would be leaving that summer further scuppered Liverpool's long-term planning, while incoming sporting director Richard Hughes' initial focus was on finding a replacement for the most successful manager in the club's recent history.

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Recently, though, Salah has been keen to keep his own counsel, and a source told ESPN that positive discussions over an extension were ongoing for several months, with Hughes overseeing negotiations with Salah's agent, Ramy Abbas Issa.

While externally debate raged over whether Salah would seek to leave Anfield for the riches of the Saudi Pro League -- having been the subject of a rejected £150 million bid from Al Ittihad in the summer of 2023 -- a source told ESPN that both Liverpool and Salah have always been convinced of a mutual desire to continue what has so far been a remarkable partnership, with Salah and his young family settled and happy in the North West of England.

A source also told ESPN that, despite speculation that Salah -- who is Liverpool's highest-paid player -- had agreed to reduce his salary in order to remain at Anfield, a pay cut was never on the agenda for either party, with his new deal costing the club in the region of £17m to £20m a year.

Unlike Salah, Van Dijk has continually remained tight-lipped on the state of his own negotiations, with discussions having been ongoing between Hughes and the defender's representative -- Neil Fewings, of the ROOF agency -- for many months.

Sources have told ESPN that from the outset of those negotiations it was abundantly clear that, as in the case of Salah, the desire of both parties was to extend Van Dijk's stay at Anfield, with a determination to continue competing at the highest level fuelling both players' decisions.

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Hislop: Mohamed Salah extension the only option for Liverpool

Shaka Hislop reacts to Mohamed Salah signing a two-year contract extension at Liverpool.

How Salah and Van Dijk evolved into Liverpool legends

Salah and Van Dijk's legendary status at Liverpool is already secured, with both players having amassed an impressive array of collective and individual honors during their eight seasons on Merseyside.

Neither player, though, looked particularly destined for such greatness at the outset of their careers.

Indeed, it's worth noting that Salah's first outing at Anfield came on one of the most disappointing days in Liverpool's recent history, when the Egypt international came on as substitute for Chelsea in a 2-0 win for the visitors that derailed the Reds' hopes of clinching the 2013-14 Premier League title.

However, sentiment toward Salah soon shifted following his £36.9 million move from AS Roma in the summer of 2017, with the forward racking up an incredible 44 goals in all competitions in his debut season.

"Straight away, Salah had that sense that every time he got the ball he was going to score," Ian Doyle, Chief Liverpool writer at the Liverpool Echo, told ESPN.

The potential was obvious, but of course it was not foreseeable that he would become so good."

Indeed, even after successful spells with Celtic in the Scottish Premier league and English top-flight club Southampton, Liverpool's decision to spend a club-record £75m to sign Van Dijk in January 2018 divided opinion.

"It's hard when you look back now because we have the evidence that he's probably one of the greatest center-backs of all time, but I remember at the time there being a mixed feeling, not necessarily among Liverpool fans but definitely among opposition fans," Josh Sexton of The Anfield Wrap told ESPN.
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