Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah is reportedly edging closer to signing a new contract at the club.
With the Egypt international's current deal due to expire in the summer of 2023, speculation has been rife surrounding his future in recent months.
Negotiations between player and club have been dragging on for a while after Salah admitted in 2020 that he would not rule out a switch to Barcelona or Real Madrid in the future.
Salah has previously hinted that he wants to find an agreement to stay at Liverpool, so long as his demands were met and his value to the team was recognised.
However, the prospect of losing Salah on a free next year has led to suggestions that the Reds could be forced into a sale this summer amid links with Spanish clubs and Paris Saint-Germain.
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Now, Football Insider claims that Liverpool are growing increasingly confident about their chances of tying Salah down to fresh terms as they prepare for the latest round of contract talks.
The report claims that Salah was initially after a blockbuster £500,000-a-week deal to stay on at Anfield, but he has since relented on such demands due to his slight dip in form following the Africa Cup of Nations.
The former Chelsea and Roma man is nevertheless poised to sign a "huge" new contract until the summer of 2026, and the deal - which would make him Liverpool's highest-paid player of all time - could be worth up to £80m in total.
Furthermore, Barcelona's financial troubles would likely scupper a move for the 29-year-old, while Real Madrid continue to prioritise the signing of Kylian Mbappe.
Since arriving on Merseyside from Roma in the summer of 2017, Salah has gone on to register a staggering 155 goals and 63 assists in 251 games for Jurgen Klopp's side in all tournaments.
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The Egyptian's exploits have helped Liverpool win the Premier League, Champions League, EFL Cup and Club World Cup, as well as seeing him crowned the African Footballer of the Year on two occasions.
During the 2021-22 campaign, Salah has found the back of the net 30 times and provided 16 assists in 48 matches, including 22 strikes in the Premier League.
The 29-year-old has unsurprisingly been named as one of eight contenders for the Premier League's Player of the Season award - currently leading the way in the Golden Boot and Playmaker award categories.
Salah sits one ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min in the top scoring charts after going without a goal in his last four top-flight matches, and his 13 assists puts him one clear of Trent Alexander-Arnold in that category.
The Reds will aim to complete a domestic cup double during Saturday's FA Cup final with Salah's former club Chelsea - keeping their dreams of a historic quadruple alive in the process.
Ben Knapton
