Mohamed Salah makes the Premier League title his top priority as his contract with Liverpool expires.
Salah, like teammates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, will become a free agent at the end of the season.
The Liverpool superstar has repeatedly stated his desire to stay at Anfield but a new contract is yet to be agreed, with Salah continuing to call this his “last year” at the club.
That is part of the reason he is so desperate for domestic glory, with Liverpool's only previous title win in the Premier League era marred by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Reds raced to top spot in 2019/20 but the season was interrupted before they could clinch the title and resumed in empty stadiums.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's meeting with Manchester United, where a packed and raucous Anfield will see Liverpool roar, Salah explained his reasons for even focusing on the Premier League over the Champions League this year.
“The first thing on the list was winning the Premier League with Liverpool,” he told Sky Sports.
“In my interviews over the last seven or eight years I always say Champions League, but this is the first time I say I really want to win the Premier League with Liverpool.
“It's probably because we didn't celebrate the victory we won in the way we wanted and because I'm also coming back here, it's my last year at the club so you want to do something special for the city. That was it point in my head.” head.
“We've been waiting for that title for about thirty years. So to win that one, and it was the pandemic at the time, we didn't really have time to celebrate properly. It's not fun to do, so hopefully we can do it this year.”
Liverpool are six points clear of second-placed Arsenal with a game in hand, and no one has done more than Salah to put Arne Slot's side in that position.
He already has 17 goals and 13 assists to his name, scoring and assisting in eight different games, a Premier League single-season record.
Salah's uncertain future would be an obvious excuse for his shaky form, but his contract impasse is a motivating factor instead.
He said: “The thing in my head is, if this is the last six months, what do you want to see in the future?
“Do you want to look back and say I was worried or stressed about the contract? Or do you just want to say I had an incredible season? That's what's in my head.
“If I ever feel distracted, I remind myself that I want to look back and say I had an incredible season. That's what I want to do.”
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