Mohamed Salah thanked Liverpool fans for giving him "the best time of my life" after he announced his departure from the club at the end of the season.

Liverpool confirmed on Tuesday that Salah's trophy-laden nine-year stint on Merseyside will come to a close once the current campaign is over.

The Egyptian, who only signed a two-year contract extension last April, has won eight major honours since joining from Roma in 2017, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

He also sits third on Liverpool's all-time goalscoring list, with 255 goals, while his 284 goal contributions overall in the Premier League are a total only bettered by Wayne Rooney (311) and Alan Shearer (324). 

And Salah has started his farewell to Liverpool, thanking the club for the last nine years.

"Unfortunately, the day has come. This is the first part of my farewell," Salah said in a video posted to social media. "I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.

"I wanted to start by saying that I never imagined 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.

"We celebrated victory. We won the most important trophies, and we fought together through the hardest time of our life.

"I want to thank everyone who was part of this club throughout my time here, especially the team-mates past and present. And to the fans. I don't have enough words.

"The support you showed me through the best time of my career, and you stood by me in the toughest times. It's something I will never forget and something I will take with me always.

"Leaving is never easy. You gave me the best time of my life. I will be always one of you. This club will always be my home for me and my family. Thank you for everything. Because of all of you, I will never walk alone."

Salah has struggled to hit the heights of last season, when he tied the Premier League single-season goal involvements record with 47.

This term, he has netted 10 goals and registered nine assists in 34 outings in all competitions.

The 33-year-old's future had been thrown into doubt in December, claiming the club had "thrown him under the bus" following a poor run of form, but he has since returned to the fold before announcing his departure.

His next move is not yet known, but he will leave Liverpool as a free agent after coming to an agreement with the club to cut his contract short by a year.

Responding to the news, Salah's agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, posted: "We do not know where Mohamed will play next season. This also means that no one else knows."

Salah's Liverpool team-mates also took the time to thank the Egyptian for his time at the club, with Andrew Robertson describing him as Liverpool's "greatest" player. 

He joined in the same transfer window as Salah, with no player featuring more times alongside Liverpool's number 11 than Robertson (338) during his time at the club. 

Posting on Instagram, the Scotland international wrote: "Mohamed, thank you.

"Nine of the best years of our lives with amazing memories on and off the pitch.

"Watching you become the best at what you do and become one of the best to ever have worn the Liverpool shirt has been a joy to watch and be part of.

"Your mentality is second to none and a lot of people could take note. You have pushed yourself every single day and always demanded more from yourself and others.

"A pleasure sharing the pitch with you for so long, but even more so, being able to call you a friend.

"You deserve a send-off that reflects your status at LFC – the greatest. Second to none."

Another long-time teammate of Salah's at Liverpool also paid tribute, with Trent Alexander-Arnold calling him "legend" on Instagram.

The defender, who left Anfield for Real Madrid last summer, added: "Some journey brother."