Danny Ings has revealed he has entered into an ambitious wager with former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah over which player will end the season with the most goals to their name.
Salah amassed 44 goals in just 52 appearances for the Reds in 2017-18, while Ings scored just one goal for the club in a frustrating, injury-blighted campaign.
However, the latter has since left Anfield on loan to return to boyhood club Southampton, where he has hit the ground running with two goals in his first four appearances.
As such, Ings is hoping that his rejuvenated form will see him come out on top of Salah in the scoring charts.
"We've got a little one [bet]. Mo is Mo. One of the best players in the world," Ings told reporters.
"It was more of a bit of banter between us. Mo's a good friend of mine. Everything he gets he deserves.
"There's not many more humble players in football. It's a bit of a laugh. Hopefully, we'll both score plenty of goals this season.
"Can I beat him? It would be incredible wouldn't it? I'm just working every day to improve. I've missed a lot of football."
💛💙 @IngsDanny 💛💙 #saintsfc pic.twitter.com/rGD2Bvmo0G
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) 1 September 2018
Asked whether there was any money involved, the 26-year-old striker said that the only thing riding on the bet was banter-related bragging rights.
"I wouldn't be stupid enough to put any cash on it! It's just a bit of banter," he added.
"People would think I'm mad to take on that bet if there was cash involved. He proposed it on messages when I left."
For the record, Salah and Ings are both level-pegging on two goals apiece thus far into the 2018-19 season, though there's still plenty of distance left to run.