Liverpool fans have grown to become sceptical about declarations of undying love.

“Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour," declared Philippe Coutinho last May.

“Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more.”

Three months later the Brazilian was stamping his feet and demanding that Liverpool granted him his “dream” move to Catalonia. He belatedly got his own way in the January window.

Rewind to February 2014 and Luis Suarez told the ECHO: “I am so happy both on the pitch and outside the pitch.

“I want to play in the Champions League for Liverpool. I can achieve all of my dreams here.”

Within five months he had bitten a chunk out of Giorgio Chiellini and was proudly holding up the No 9 shirt at the Nou Camp.

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That recent painful history dictates that there's bound to be a degree of cynicism around Mohamed Salah's insistence that he's planning on sticking around at Liverpool for the long-term.

Laden with silverware as he spoke to the waiting media in the bowels of Anfield at the LFC Players Awards on Thursday evening, Salah laughed off suggestions that he could be lured away by Real Madrid this summer.

“I am very happy here and everything is fine,” he beamed. “This is just the start. I have got ambitions for the future with Liverpool.”

Of course talk is cheap. Once bitten, twice shy and all that.

However, there is good reason to believe that Salah's words were genuine.

For a start, his contentment with life on Merseyside is clear for all to see.

Off the field, his young family are settled and on it, he has established himself as a global superstar during a record-breaking first season with the Reds.

(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The 25-year-old cherishes his close bond with the Kop. He has taken the fast-track to legendary status having scored more goals in his first 50 appearances for the Reds than any other player in the club's 126-year history.

He also fully appreciates the role that Jurgen Klopp has played in fitting him into a system and a style of play which has given him the platform to flourish.

Yes, he's long since repaid that £36.9million fee but Liverpool FC has also been great for Salah and he's humble enough to realise that.

Salah isn't South American, he doesn't have that emotional bond with the Spanish giants that turned the heads of Coutinho and Suarez.

The Egyptian winger arrived at Anfield with a point to prove after being shown the door by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and views the Premier League as the toughest in Europe.

Moment Salah collects the Football Writers' Association award

To even think about walking away after a season when he has plundered 43 goals and swept the board with the prestigious individual accolades would be nonsensical.

Salah will be rewarded for his remarkable form with a drastically improved contract – 12 months after penning a five-year deal worth around £90,000 per week.

It's only right that he's elevated alongside Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk as one of the club's highest wage earners.

Football effectively comes down to playing time, money and glory. On all three fronts, Salah has no need to look anywhere else.

Firmino's eagerness to recently pen a new contract was a promising sign that Klopp is making progress in his mission to stem the talent drain out of Anfield.

(Image: Colin Lane)

The Reds boss had insisted after the January exit of Coutinho that none of his other star men would follow.

Prior to Suarez and Coutinho going, Liverpool also lost the likes of Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres to rivals. They all left talking about their burning desire to win trophies.

Klopp wants to turn the clock back and make Liverpool a final destination for elite talent once again. He wants to ensure that any player who leaves Anfield is taking a step down rather than up.

The Reds' presence in the Champions League final is proof of their thrilling resurgence under the German coach. He has put them back challenging for the biggest prizes.

When Liverpool last met Real Madrid four years ago they were out of their depth in that kind of company. Not any more.

Zinedine Zidane's side maybe the favourites in Kiev but there will be no inferiority complex from the Reds. They have proved they belong in this kind of company.

There have been times when Liverpool's financial situation has made them vulnerable to having their top performers cherry-picked.

But, thankfully, those days are gone. With the Coutinho money unspent and on the back of a Champions League run which has generated in excess of £70million, the stage is set for another big investment in Klopp's squad this summer.

Fenway Sports Group know that greater depth is required to ensure that Liverpool maintain a challenge both at home and abroad.

If any offers for Salah do arrive this summer, they will be instantly dismissed. This is a £200million talent who is driving the Reds forward. Liverpool intend to add more quality around him, not entertain replacing him.

Too often in the modern era a player has lit up Anfield, taken the leap into the world class bracket, kissed the badge and then jumped ship.

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Klopp intends to break that cycle. He believes that Salah will buck the trend and dedicate the best years of his career to the Reds.

Liverpool and Salah has proved to be a match made in heaven. Now it's down to Klopp and the owners to demonstrate sufficient ambition over the coming years to ensure that he has no need to cast any admiring glances elsewhere.