Arne Slot has made it clear Liverpool want to keep Mohamed Salah amid interest from Saudi Arabian clubs.
Slot has previously said very little about the Egyptian’s future at Anfield with the striker’s contract due to expire at the end of the season.
But with noises from Saudi getting louder in recent days, the Dutchman made his pitch this morning in the hope club chiefs can tie the 32-year-old down to a new deal.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Bournemouth, Slot said: “It would be a surprise if anyone, wherever around the world, said they didn’t want Mo Salah.
“He has done so well for so many years that everyone probably wants him, and 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.”
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Salah is the “biggest trophy”
Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal yesterday admitted Salah was the “biggest trophy” on the market and hoped the former Chelsea and Roma forward would move to the Middle East.
But while Slot accepts Salah is a wanted man, he believes it is “clear” the Premier League leaders wish him to remain on Merseyside.
He added: “Everyone wants him, including us. We want him to extend [his contract] of course, as well, that is clear.
“So I am not surprised that somebody wants him. I would not be surprised if other countries as well. He has done so many smart things in his career, so he will make the right decision in his career for himself and hopefully us as well.”
Asked if he has spoken to Salah, as well as Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose deals also expire in five months’ time, Slot said: “The answer is of course I speak to these players, 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 [the media] 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.”
We’d love to have him
Salah is currently top of the goalscoring charts in the Premier League with 19 as well as the assists table with 13 after another brilliant season.
And, speaking to Piers Morgan Uncensored, Prince Abdulaziz said: “He ticks all the right boxes for us, we’d love to have him.
“He’s Egyptian and we have a very good relationship, we feel like we are one with the Egyptians, from our culture and our history and so on.
“So to have Mo Salah or other players that are good role models would be a privilege. Will it happen? That’s up to the clubs to decide and see what negotiations go on.”
Pro League clubs have again been active in the current transfer window with Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran seemingly poised to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr in a deal worth a reported £64million.
And Prince Abdulaziz confirmed the drive to make Saudi Arabia an appealing destination for top players is not going to stop any time soon.
He added: “We want the league to be in the top five watched and commercially driven [leagues in the world] that people aspire to want to play there, and I don’t see there being any harm in that.
“We can collaborate with everyone in Europe to make sure we deliver on that.”
