Arne Slot has joked that Mohamed Salah’s hint that he had played against Manchester City for the final time at Anfield was because the forward believes Liverpool’s rivals will be relegated, rather than because he will leave at the end of the season when his contract expires.
City were charged by the Premier League for more than 100 alleged breaches of their profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) with proceedings ongoing.
Salah is in the final year of his current contract and, while his priority is to stay at Liverpool, no agreement has been reached on a new deal despite positive discussions taking place.
When quizzed on Salah’s comments and his contract situation, Slot said: “Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 accusations so he doesn’t expect them to be in the Premier League next season! I do expect them to be in the Premier League.
“The boring answer is always the same. This is not the place for me to talk about Mo’s contract. Maybe I’ve said already too much about the joke I’ve just made. So that will probably get the headlines. But it was a joke, I repeat, it was a joke.”
Will Salah stay at Liverpool?
- Mohamed Salah open to one-year Liverpool contract extension, frustrated at club’s handling of talks
- If a one-year contract for Mohamed Salah is an option for FSG, it’s a no-brainer
- Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future and what his ‘I’m more out than in’ comments mean
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, following Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City — where Salah produced another match-winning performance, scoring a penalty and providing an assist for Cody Gakpo’s opener — the Egyptian opened up about the situation.
He said: “Honestly, it’s in my head. Until now, this is the last City game I will play for Liverpool, so I was just going to enjoy it.
“The atmosphere was incredible, so I will enjoy every second here. Hopefully, we just win the league and will see what will happen. It’s very special. I don’t take it for granted. It feels like home.”
The Athletic revealed on Monday that Salah was open to signing a new one-year contract to remain on Merseyside but was growing increasingly exasperated by the slow pace of discussions.
Liverpool’s victory over Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points and opened up an 11-point gap on the defending champions.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
