LONDON: Liverpool manager Arne Slot has urged Mohamed Salah to sign a new contract with the club despite receiving a lucrative offer to move to Saudi Arabia. tempted by a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s contract, which is currently at its peak, will expire next June.
Speculation about the future of the Egyptian international is increasingly heated, with the Saudi Pro League seen as one of the preferred destinations for him to continue his career.
In an interview aired on Piers Morgan’s YouTube channel Uncensored on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal admitted they were interested in signing Salah if the player met all the criteria they were looking for.
“Of course, if he meets all the criteria, we would be very honored to have him,” Prince Abdulaziz said.
“We feel we share a lot in common with the Egyptians, from culture to history.”
At 32, Salah leads the Premier League’s top scorers chart with 19 goals this season, but in a statement in December, he said he was still a long way from reaching an agreement on a new contract with Liverpool.
Slot, said the club intends to keep Salah and hopes the player will choose to extend his contract.
“We want him to stay with us, that’s clear. But I wouldn’t be surprised if other countries, including Saudi Arabia, are interested in him,” said Slot in a press conference ahead of the match against Bournemouth, today.
“He is quite wise and experienced in making decisions for his future, and I am sure he will make the best decision, not only for himself but also for us.”
In addition to Salah, two other key Liverpool players, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, are also out of contract at the end of the season, adding to concerns over the team’s future.
Slot, however, declined to comment further on contract negotiations, but stressed that discussions about the future of his players were being taken seriously.