Salah staying put next term but Mane to decide after Champions League final

Mohamed Salah has confirmed he will remain at Liverpool next season — but team-mate Sadio Mane will not decide his future until after Saturday’s Champions League final.

Salah’s future has been a hot topic as he enters the final year of his deal at Anfield with an extension yet to be agreed.

It had been suggested the Egyptian, who topped the Premier League goalscoring charts alongside Heung-Min Son with 23 goals this season, may be sold this summer to avoid the Reds losing him on a free next year. 

But speaking ahead of the showdown with Real Madrid, 29-year-old Salah made it clear he has no intention of playing his football elsewhere in 2022-23. 

Stopping short of revealing his plans beyond the end of next season, he said: “I am just focused on the team and don’t want to talk about my contract. But I am staying next season, that’s for sure.

“In my mind, I don’t focus about the contract at the moment. I don’t want to be selfish. I said two months ago, it’s all about the team now.

“It’s a really important week for us, so I am just focused on the team. I want to win the Champions League again.”

With Mane’s contract also having just a year left to run, the striker been tipped to move on. 

But unlike Salah, the 30-year-old Senegalese ace was less willing to shed light on the situation — insisting his plans will be revealed after the game. 

He told Sky Sports News: “This question [about my future], I will answer after the Champions League. If I’m staying or not, I’m going to answer after the final.”

The duo’s combined total of 39 Premier League goals was not enough to see Liverpool lift the title as they agonisingly finished just a point behind Manchester City.

But having already beaten Chelsea to lift the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds will be desperate to add the Champions League to their haul by downing LaLiga winners Real. 

The match in Paris will have particular poignance for Salah, who went off injured against the Spanish giants in the final in Kyiv four years ago, when Liverpool lost 3-1.

Salah said: “I’m very motivated, especially after what happened last time and what happened on Sunday [in the Premier League]. Everybody is motivated to win the Champions League.

“Coming off after 30 minutes the last time [against Madrid] was the worst moment of my career.”