Moment Mohamed Salah knew his time at Liverpool was up as fans unaware

• 

• Liverpool FC News
• Features
• Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah will bring his nine-year spell at Liverpool to an end this summer, with the Egyptian having already agreed upon his exit long before he made his announcement

Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season(Image: Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah already knew he would be leaving Liverpool when he celebrated in front of the Kop, a week before making his bombshell announcement.

The Egyptian will bring the curtain down on his time at Anfield this summer after nine years, in which he has firmly secured his spot as a club legend.

Salah has reached an agreement with Liverpool that will see the final year of his contract waived as he departs on a free transfer. The 33-year-old’s departure comes after talks were held with club amid what has been a disappointing season by his usually high standards, especially after firing the Reds to the Premier League title.

According to The Athletic, an agreement had already been struck by the time Salah struck his 50th Champions League goal in Liverpool’s recent 4-0 win over Galatasaray, setting up a quarter-final meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in the process.

Talks had taken place between the club and Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas, for weeks beforehand, with the decision eventually taken to effectively cancel his contract 12 months early.

Salah had only signed a new two-year deal the previous year, but amid his waning form, it was decided that the prospect of him staying for his final season with a reduced role was "unpalatable."

Mohamed Salah knew of his impending departure when he scored against Galatasaray(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

Furthermore, the expectation that a club would be willing to spend a fee on signing Salah on top of his salary demands - he is Liverpool’s top earner at around £400,000 ($532,000) per week plus bonuses - was deemed to be unrealistic.

As a gesture of “goodwill”, FSG therefore agreed to waive the final year of his contract, with the agreement having already been reached before Salah celebrated in front of supporters against Galatasaray, with fans at that stage unaware of the announcement that would be coming.

The Athletic goes on to claim that Salah had been determined to keep the news quiet until the international break in order to avoid disrupting his team during a crucial run of fixtures.

Announcing his impending departure this week, Salah said: "I want to thank everyone who was part of this club during my time here, especially my teammates, past and present.

"And to the fans, I don't have enough words. The support you showed me, through the best time of my career, is something I will never forget and something I will always take with me.

"Leaving is never easy. You gave me the best time of my life. I will always be one of you. This club will always be my home, to me and my family. Thank you for everything.

"Because of all of you, I will never walk alone."