Mohamed Salah reveals Liverpool fear and what 'drives him crazy' - 'I'm not lying'
Mohamed Salah feared there was only a 10% chance of extending his Liverpool contract - as he joked the Reds have a place for Kevin De Bruyne in their squad. Salah ended months of speculation in April when he agreed a new two-year contract having been set to leave on a free transfer in the summer.
The Egyptian hadn't expected the Reds to be open to a new deal given the long-standing trend under owners Fenway Sports Group not to give lucrative contracts to players in their 30s.
However, Salah, who will be 33 this summer, and Virgil van Dijk, who turns 34 before the start of the new campaign, have both thrashed out extensions to their Anfield careers.
READ MORE: Mohamed Salah speaks out on Trent Alexander-Arnold abuse - 'not how we act'
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And when asked what percentage he thought there was of a new deal 12 months ago, Salah said: "Based on club history, 10%.
"Because we know how the club - I'm not attacking them - just I know how they deal with players over 30 in the past, and I know how the situation will be, so I'd never expect that the club was going to be like 'okay, two years with the money, and all of us are happy'. So I didn't expect that I'm going to stay.
"It's in my head, based on club philosophy, (that) I will not stay. I know how the club works, it's not something that is bad, it's just we see how they deal with a situation like this in the past. So, based on experience, you saw in the past, you just judge a situation."
Salah added: "I think it took like six months for negotiations to start going really quick, and I think from January it's like, okay, now things are getting better and better. So it took a while.
"I think the club was testing me to see if I can still provide or not! I didn't want more that (two years)."
Salah has enjoyed an outstanding season in helping Liverpool become champions, scoring 33 goals and providing 23 assists in all competitions. He was last week named Footballer of the Year, is a front-runner for the PFA Player of the Year award is expected to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
The Egyptian is also among the favourites for the Ballon d'Or having previously never before finished higher than fifth despite racking up the records and trophies while with Liverpool.
"It used to drive me crazy before, but some stuff is not in your hands, so you give up in that direction," said Salah. "But when you go to work, it's in your mind a little bit what you want to achieve this season. So it also drives you to work hard.
"I would love to win it one day, I'm not lying to you. I'm not giving up on it, I would love to win it. If it doesn't happen, I'm don't know what I can do.
"I'm not sure why I haven't won it. But I'm sure there's a good chance of winning it this year."
Speaking to Sky Sports, Salah was also given the opportunity to pay tribute to Kevin De Bruyne, who will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after 10 years among the best players in the Premier League.
"I want to tell him congratulations for your career here, he has done phenomenal at City and was great for the league," he said. "I really wish him the best - and we have a space for him!"
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