Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah insists he is not asking for “crazy stuff” but wants to be appreciated in his new contract.
The Egypt international has less than 18 months remaining on his current deal and has reiterated whether he stays or goes remains in the hands of the club.
Reports have claimed Salah is looking for a weekly salary of more than £300,000, which would smash the Reds’ wage structure and would represent a significant departure as owner Fenway Sports Group is reluctant to hand out lucrative contracts to players once they reach 30, which he does in June.
However, for a player who has scored 111 goals in 165 Premier League matches and leads the race for a third Golden Boot in five years, it is not necessarily about the cash but what it represents.
“I want to stay, but it’s not in my hands. It’s in their hands. They know what I want. I’m not asking for crazy stuff,” said Salah, speaking to GQ’s first global sports issue, available on January 25.
“The thing is when you ask for something and they show you they can give you something (they should) because they appreciate what you did for the club.
“I’ve been here for my fifth year now. I know the club very well. I love the fans. The fans love me.
“But with the administration, they have (been) told the situation. It’s in their hands.”
Salah – currently away on Egypt duty at the Africa Cup of Nations – has made the three-man shortlist, along with Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Paris St Germain’s Lionel Messi, for FIFA’s best men’s player of 2021.
He finished seventh in the race for last year’s Ballon d’Or, but the Egyptian’s ambition is to be the best in the world.
“If you asked me if this was a drive for me to be here? Yeah, of course,” he added.
“I can’t really lie and say honestly I didn’t think about it. No, I think about it. I want to be the best player in the world.
“But I will have a good life even if I don’t win. My life is OK, everything is fine.”
