Salah to leave Liverpool at the end of the season after 9 years with the club

In this file photo, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates by taking a selfie after winning the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and clinching the Premier League title at Anfield in Liverpool, England. (AP)

LONDON, March 25 (AP): Liverpool star Mohamed Salah announced he will leave the English club at the end of the season, marking an earlier-than-planned departure for one of the club's greatest-ever scorers and soccer's biggest names.

The 33-year-old Egyptian forward, who has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool, "reached an agreement” to quit the team a year before his contract was due to expire, the Premier League champions said.

Salah's form has dipped in his ninth year at Anfield, to such an extent that he was dropped for a stretch of games late last year - leading to the winger telling reporters in an impromptu interview that the club "has thrown me under the bus.”

"Unfortunately, the day has come,” Salah said in a post on Instagram that was released around the same time as Liverpool published a six-paragraph statement announcing the imminent departure of a club great.

"I never imagined," he added, "how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life. Liverpool is not just a football club. It’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit. I can’t explain in words to anyone not part of this club.”

It's a slightly acrimonious exit for Salah, who has been the superstar name in Liverpool's greatest team in a generation. He has won two Premier Leagues and a Champions League in a total of eight titles since joining from Roma in 2017, initially forming a devastating front three with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino under manager Jurgen Klopp.

Salah is third in Liverpool's all-time scorers' list, behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, and has won the Golden Boot - as the Premier League's top scorer - four times.

Liverpool described Salah as "one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history” and said his time at Anfield had been "remarkable.”

"Salah expressed his wish to make this announcement to the supporters at the earliest possible opportunity,” Liverpool said, "to provide transparency about his future due to his respect and gratitude for them.”

There was no immediate word from Salah on his next club. Leaving as a free agent would mean Liverpool wouldn't collect a transfer fee. Salah was previously the subject of a bid from a Saudi team, reportedly Al-Ittihad, that was turned down in 2023.

Salah signed a two-year extension to his contract at Liverpool at the end of last season, tying him to the club until 2027, after being the star player in the team's march to a record-tying 20th English league title.