MO SALAH AIMS SUBTITLE DIG AT YRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD AFTER SIGNING NEW LIVERPOOL CONTRACT

Mohamed Salah emphasised his desire to win trophies with Liverpool, not individual honours, after signing a new deal – in a clear contrast to Trent Alexander-Arnold's recent comments

Mohamed Salah is not concerned about individual awards(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah says he decided to stay at Liverpool because he wants to win trophies with his team-mates – in a clear contrast to Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was announced on Friday morning that Salah has signed a new contract with the Reds and will continue to spearhead Arne Slot ’s side next season.

He is the first of Liverpool’s three out-of-contract stars to announce his decision, with the futures of Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk still unclear. Like Salah, Van Dijk is expected to put pen to paper on a new two-year contract, but Alexander-Arnold is poised to leave on a free transfer to Real Madrid when his deal expires at the end of June.

Salah is in the midst of his best-ever season with Liverpool, having recorded 32 goals and 22 assists in 45 games so far. With the Premier League title heading to Merseyside, the Egyptian has made it clear that he thinks the future is bright under Slot.

“I signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football,” he said. Salah has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Club World Cup and two Carabao Cups since joining Liverpool from Roma in 2017 and in an interview with the club media he made it clear what his goals for the future are.

Asked about sitting third on the club’s all-time goalscorer list, Salah replied: “It’s great but I’m more proud when we win team trophies because this is the most important thing. When you win something with the team and are scoring goals and you are involved, that’s what people remember. Just individual awards without winning anything doesn’t feel great.”

He had a similar response when asked about chasing the Premier League’s golden boot this season. “ I’m just a good winger and I try to do my job,” he said modestly. “As long as we’re winning games and are close to winning trophies, that’s the most important thing.”

When it was pointed out that he is four goals off going fourth in the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer’s list, Salah said: “Of course. To be fair, it’s great. But, again, when you are scoring goals and you feel like you are involved in most of the games and the team is close to winning big trophies, that’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid(Image: Getty Images)

Some Liverpool fans may draw a parallel between Salah’s words and those of Alexander-Arnold’s back in October when speaking to Sky Sports. The 26-year-old was asked to choose between winning another Champions League title, winning a trophy with England, becoming Liverpool captain or winning the Ballon d’Or and he went for the individual award over team honours.

“Winning a World Cup with England – that would be immense and change the game, but I’d say win a Ballon d’Or, because I believe I can. I want to be the first full-back to ever do it,” he said before adding: “I believe it. Some people may call me deluded, but I believe I can.”

And asked how he’d like to be thought of in 20 years’ time, Alexander-Arnold said: “A legend of football. Someone who changed the game – that’s the main thing that I have: ‘don’t play the game, change the game’.

"So that’s the legacy I want to have: being the greatest right-back to ever play football, if I’m honest. I know that there’s been so many out there, but I’ve got to reach for the stars and that’s where I believe my ceiling can go.”

- Felix Keith

ERLING HAALAND'S NET WORTH AND WHAT HE'LL HAVE EARNED ONCE RECORD MAN CITY CONTRACT ENDS

Erling Haaland's life of luxury just got a whole lot more comfortable (Image: Getty Images)

Erling Haaland has put pen to paper on a nine-and-a-half-year deal at the Etihad Stadium, which is set to cost Manchester City an eye-watering total sum by 2034

Erling Haaland will have earned at the very least £260million by the time his new nine-and-a-half-year contract ends.

The 24-year-old Norwegian striker has dominated English football since his arrival in a £51.2m deal in 2022, making his way to the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund. Under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, Haaland has scored 111 goals in 126 appearances for Manchester City, lifting two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a Champions League - with hopes of filling his trophy cabinet more in the coming years.

And while there has been speculation of interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid as of late, Haaland has confirmed that his heart is set in the north west of England, penning a new near decade-long deal which will keep him as a Cityzen until the end of the 2033/34 campaign.

And while there has been speculation of interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid as of late, Haaland has confirmed that his heart is set in the north west of England, penning a new near decade-long deal which will keep him as a Cityzen until the end of the 2033/34 campaign.

Meanwhile, the contract also reportedly saw any existing release clauses removed, although a new one will come into effect from 2029. It is expected that Haaland will see a massive increase on his current £375,000-per-week salary, rising to in the region of £500,000 weekly - and that's before bonuses.

This will see Haaland approximately rack up an astonishing £260m pre-tax by the time that his contract expires in 2034, given that his pay is also reported to be backdated to the start of the current Premier League campaign. In terms of his wage being broken down, £500k-a-week translates to £71,428-a-day or £2,976 per hour.

Add the substantial sum over the next 10 years to the reported £32m ($40) net worth Haaland boasts at present and he should have a bank balance well into the nine figures. And that's also excluding endorsements and performance bonuses which come incredibly frequently to stars of his calibre.

According to Forbes, Haaland has worked with the likes of Nike, EA, Breitling, Dolce and Gabbana and Midea over the years - each boosting his bank balance further with lucrative sponsorships. Speaking on his new contract, he said: "I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.

"Manchester City is a special club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody. I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years.

"They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what. Now I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward."

- Aaron Morris

BEARS, WIDE RECEIVER DJ MOORE REACH 4-YEAR, $110M EXTENSION

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears and wide receiver DJ Moore reached agreement on a four-year, $110 million contract extension, the largest in franchise history, his agents told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

The deal -- negotiated by Drew Rosenhaus, Jason Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey -- includes $82.6 million guaranteed, which ranks third for a wide receiver on a single contract in NFL history (Justin Jefferson $110 million guaranteed, A.J. Brown $84 million). All three players agreed to their deals this offseason.

Moore, 27, had two years remaining on the extension he signed at the end of his rookie contract with the Carolina Panthers and was set to hit free agency in 2026. He is now under contract with the Bears through the 2029 season and headlines a wide receiver room with 12-year veteran Keenan Allen and the draft's ninth overall pick, Rome Odunze.

A former first-round pick, Moore was the focal point of a 2023 trade that sent the No. 1 overall selection from Chicago to Carolina in exchange for Moore and four draft picks. At the time of the trade, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles said he was "over the moon" about receiving Moore in the haul from the Panthers and was worried the receiver wouldn't be available had the Bears waited past the date they executed the trade March 10, 2023.

In his first season with the Bears, Moore put together a career year, leading the team in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364), receiving yards per game (80.2) and touchdowns (8). He accounted for 39.9% of Chicago's receiving yards, the highest percentage for any player for a team in 2023.

In one season, Moore changed the trajectory of the Bears offense. His 1,364 receiving yards were the fourth most by a Bears player in franchise history, trailing only Brandon Marshall (2012), Alshon Jeffery (2013) and Marcus Robinson (1999).

Since entering the league in 2018, Moore has caught a pass from 12 different quarterbacks -- yet still ranks seventh in the NFL in receiving yards over that span despite playing with a rotating cast of QBs.

"Our best player has got to be our hardest workers and they've got to be our best finishers and they've got to be available to practice out there, and DJ certainly is that," Chicago coach Matt Eberflus said in June. "He's as tough as they come and he is a great teammate and he is our hardest worker and one of our most talented guys."

The Bears rewarded Moore with an extension earlier than they have for players under Poles' direction. Last summer, Chicago extended tight end Cole Kmet going into the final year of his rookie deal. The team let cornerback Jaylon Johnson play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2023 before signing him to a four-year extension this offseason, after using the franchise tag as a placeholder for negotiations.

In March, Poles said he wanted to be "intentional with the order that we do negotiations," which eventually meant that Moore would leapfrog other Bears players who are headed for contract years in 2024.

Allen, who was traded to the Bears from the Los Angeles Chargers, has one year remaining on his deal. Left guard Teven Jenkins is entering the final year of his rookie contract and said the Bears told him and his agent that he would have to wait until after Chicago's Week 7 bye to enter negotiations.

By extending Moore, Poles now has the team's offensive core locked down for quite a while; Chicago has its first overall quarterback (Caleb Williams), two first-round wide receivers (Odunze, Moore), a top-10 pick offensive tackle (Darnell Wright) and starting tight end (Kmet) all under contract for at least the next four years (including fifth-year options on first-round contracts).

Moore is the latest to cash in during a summer of mega contract extensions for wide receivers. His deal makes him the second-highest-paid wide receiver behind Minnesota's Jefferson, who signed the richest contract in NFL history at the position (four years, $140 million) in June.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.

- Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer