(REUTERS)
Arne Slot said he has no reason to want Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool as he prepared for a face-to-face meeting with the forward on Friday to decide his involvement in Saturday's Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Dutchman moved to calm speculation over Salah's future after the Egyptian's fiery criticism of the club following last weekend's 3-3 draw with Leeds United, sparking questions about his future at the Merseyside club, who are languishing in 10th place with 23 points from 15 matches, a stark contrast to last year's title-winning campaign.
Salah was left out of the team that travelled to Italy for their 1-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday.
"I will have a conversation with Mo this morning, the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow,” Slot told reporters on Friday.
When asked if he wanted Salah to stay at the club, Slot said: "I have no reasons to not want him to stay."
Pressed on Salah’s status, Slot refused to offer any guarantees.
"I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. You can keep on trying but there is not much more to say about it,” he said. "After the Sunderland game there were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me."
ISAK DOUBT
The decision to leave Salah at home for the trip to Milan was a club decision, Slot said.
"I am always in contact with them (sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards) but when it comes to the decision making of the line-up or the squad, they leave that open to me. That's not to say I don't talk to them. Mainly Richard, not Michael. The decision to play a player or have them in the squad is entirely up to me."
There is a question mark over Alexander Isak's status for Saturday with Slot saying the forward picked up a knock in the first half against Inter Milan, and that he will be evaluated on Friday before they decide whether or not he can start.
Slot is pleased with how Isak and Hugo Ekitike have played together, saying their partnership will continue to improve.
"The more they play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate," Slot said. "I saw promising things from the both of them, it's only the second time they've played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future."
Salah, nicknamed "The Egyptian King," has endured a turbulent campaign following an extraordinary 2024-25 season.
He is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, leaving Liverpool to attempt to extend their four-game unbeaten run across all competitions while silencing the off-field turmoil.