Roma winger Mohamed Salah has revealed that a phone call from Jose Mourinho was all it took for him to ignore a move to Liverpool and instead join Chelsea.
The Egyptian winger, who is currently on loan at the Giallorossi, signed for the Blues in 2014. Salah failed to make an impression at Stamford Bridge, but has returned to form in Italy.
Salah, 23, admitted that he was 'desperate' to join the Reds, but that soon changed with a call from Mourinho persuading him to join the London club.
"Liverpool had been after me for months," Salah told Egyptian television channel MBC.
"They started talks in October 2013 and they went on for a while, also because Basel refused an offer that they deemed too low for me.
"I was waiting to go to Liverpool because I really liked them. I was really desperate to join them, but then I received a phone call directly from Mourinho and that changed everything. He [Mourinho] explained the situation to me, telling me I was a good player and saying that Chelsea needed me.
"This is the main reason why I didn't go to Liverpool and I chose Chelsea. My experience in the England helped me a lot. I matured in terms of my character in London."
The former Basel winger endured a frustrating spell with Chelsea, prompting a move to Fiorentina where he enjoyed great success.
A controversial move to Italian Serie A rivals Roma followed and Salah has enjoyed a fruitful stay in the capital.
With 12 goals and seven assists in 35 appearances across all competitions this season, Salah is one of the club's outstanding players.
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