Liverpool’s contract message to Mohamed Salah ‘clear’ – Arne Slot

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted it is “clear” just how much the club want to renew Mohamed Salah’s contract at Anfield.

Salah has long been touted as the leading target for the cash-rich Saudi Pro League, with Al Hilal recently named as the most likely transfer destination for the Egyptian if walks away from Liverpool on a free transfer this summer.

Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal recently went public with his desire to sign Salah this summer but, when quizzed on those comments, Slot insisted Liverpool were just as keen to get a deal done with their talisman forward.

“I would be surprised if there was anyone wherever around the world saying, ‘We don’t want Mo Salah’,” the Liverpool boss told his latest media conference. “He’s doing so well for so many years that everyone probably wants him.

“He has done so well without my advice for a long time so he can probably keep doing what is best for his career even without my advice. But my advice to him would be different to the one you just mentioned [from the Saudi minister].

“What I mean by different is everyone wants him, including us – we want him to extend, of course, as well. That is clear but I am not surprised that Saudi wants him but I would not be surprised if other countries wanted him as well.

“He is old and wise enough and done so many smart things in his career he will make the right decision for himself and hopefully for us as well.”

Slot was then pressed for details on the negotiations between Liverpool and Salah, as well as those involving Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold as they near the end of their own contracts, but the manager once again declined the request.

“The answer is of course I speak to these players,” he said. “I speak with them, not everyday like Richard [Hughes, sporting director], but quite a lot.

“And it would be ridiculous that in all the times I have spoken to these players, we have never spoken about the future. So of course we do [speak about their futures] but as you also probably know, that is not something I am going to discuss with you, what we were talking about. But it is also not just with those three who are out of contract, you also talk about future things with the other players as well.”