Arne Slot has opened up on the future of star man Mohamed Salah after the Saudi Arabian sports minister said he wants the Egyptian to move to his league this summer.
Mail Sport reported a fortnight ago that the Saudis were keen on bringing Salah to the Gulf state after this season - they had a £150million approach rejected in summer 2023 - and Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has confirmed that they are trying hard to complete their wish.
But Liverpool boss Slot says this is not surprising and he wants his goal-scoring machine to stick around at Anfield.
'We want him to extend, slot777 of course,' said Slot on Salah, whose contract is set to expire in the summer. 'That is clear but I am not surprised that Saudi wants him… I would not be surprised if other countries wanted him as well.
'He is old and wise enough and has done so many smart things in his career he will make the right decision for himself and hopefully for us as well.
'I would be surprised if there was anyone around the world saying, "We don't want Mo Salah". He has been doing so well for so many years that everyone probably wants him.
Arne Slot has reiterated he wants Mohamed Salah to stay at Liverpool despite Saudi interest
Salah has six months left on his deal and an agreement over an extension has not been struck
Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal wants Salah to move to his league
'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 (from the Saudi minister) you just mentioned.'
Salah joins Trent Alexander-Arnold and captain Virgil van Dijk as players that could feasibly walk away from Anfield for nothing in six months.
The unsolved situation has seen sporting director Richard Hughes come under pressure from some corners of the fanbase ahead of his return to former club Bournemouth on Saturday.
But Slot jumped to Hughes's defence and said Saturday's clash is the best example to show the Liverpool chief's brilliance.
'They have a lot, a lot of quality… created by Richard of course. He hired a fantastic manager. Why is he fantastic? Well, he has a great game plan and his players work incredibly hard. And in a different way to Arsenal they are a threat on set-pieces.
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'They always come up with worked ones that are very useful for them. In every department, they are a very, very strong team. They deserve to be where they are and maybe even a bit higher than that.
'Justin Kluivert is one of the many examples where Richard deserves a lot of credit. And the manager as well. I believe that the team makes the individual better. You need quality and that is what Richard brought there, and his successor as well.
'Most of the players that were there were there last season as well. Justin, great season he is having. Great to see for us. He left Holland a bit early and he was criticised for that - people think you need extra years in the Eredivisie before you go abroad.'
Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are set to train today after injuries or illness with a decision set to be made later on whether they can travel to Bournemouth. Curtis Jones remains a doubt.
LiverpoolMohamed SalahArne Slot
Mail Sport reported a fortnight ago that the Saudis were keen on bringing Salah to the Gulf state after this season - they had a £150million approach rejected in summer 2023 - and Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has confirmed that they are trying hard to complete their wish.
But Liverpool boss Slot says this is not surprising and he wants his goal-scoring machine to stick around at Anfield.
'We want him to extend, slot777 of course,' said Slot on Salah, whose contract is set to expire in the summer. 'That is clear but I am not surprised that Saudi wants him… I would not be surprised if other countries wanted him as well.
'He is old and wise enough and has done so many smart things in his career he will make the right decision for himself and hopefully for us as well.
'I would be surprised if there was anyone around the world saying, "We don't want Mo Salah". He has been doing so well for so many years that everyone probably wants him.
Arne Slot has reiterated he wants Mohamed Salah to stay at Liverpool despite Saudi interest
Salah has six months left on his deal and an agreement over an extension has not been struck
Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal wants Salah to move to his league
'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 (from the Saudi minister) you just mentioned.'
Salah joins Trent Alexander-Arnold and captain Virgil van Dijk as players that could feasibly walk away from Anfield for nothing in six months.
The unsolved situation has seen sporting director Richard Hughes come under pressure from some corners of the fanbase ahead of his return to former club Bournemouth on Saturday.
But Slot jumped to Hughes's defence and said Saturday's clash is the best example to show the Liverpool chief's brilliance.
'They have a lot, a lot of quality… created by Richard of course. He hired a fantastic manager. Why is he fantastic? Well, he has a great game plan and his players work incredibly hard. And in a different way to Arsenal they are a threat on set-pieces.
Read More
Al-Hilal 'leading chase for Mohamed Salah' after Neymar exit as Liverpool star's contract runs down
'They always come up with worked ones that are very useful for them. In every department, they are a very, very strong team. They deserve to be where they are and maybe even a bit higher than that.
'Justin Kluivert is one of the many examples where Richard deserves a lot of credit. And the manager as well. I believe that the team makes the individual better. You need quality and that is what Richard brought there, and his successor as well.
'Most of the players that were there were there last season as well. Justin, great season he is having. Great to see for us. He left Holland a bit early and he was criticised for that - people think you need extra years in the Eredivisie before you go abroad.'
Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are set to train today after injuries or illness with a decision set to be made later on whether they can travel to Bournemouth. Curtis Jones remains a doubt.
LiverpoolMohamed SalahArne Slot