Slot ´has no reason´ to want Salah exit ahead of crunch talks

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has expressed his desire for Mohammed Salah to stay at the club and plans to hold urgent talks with the Egyptian concerning his future.

Salah rocked the Premier League champions last week after declaring that he had been “thrown under the bus” by Slot as he spoke to journalists following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United, with the winger having been on the bench for three consecutive matches.

He was subsequently left out of their squad for a 1-0 Champions League win over Inter, but Slot wants clarity on his situation and has kept the door open for Salah to return to first-team action, with Liverpool facing Brighton at the weekend.

After this weekend, Salah will depart for the Africa Cup of Nations as he looks to win his first title at the tournament, with Egypt last triumphing in 2007.

“I will have a conversation with Mo,” Slot said at Friday’s pre-match press conference.

“The outcome of that conversation determines how things will look [on Saturday].

“I have no reasons to not want Salah to stay.”

“What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo, it should be with him and not in here.

“There’s not much more I can say. I will speak to him today and the outcome determines how things will look tomorrow.

“You can try it in multiple ways. The next time I speak should be with him. We’ve spoken a lot in the last week, since the Sunderland game.

“There have been a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me.”

Tune in live from the AXA Training Centre as Arne Slot previews our Premier League fixture against Brighton #LIVBHA https://t.co/vmyNBqzaIW

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 12, 2025

Salah has scored 250 goals in 420 appearances since joining Liverpool in 2017, winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups.

Last season, he equalled the all-time record for goal involvements in a single Premier League campaign (47, tied with Andrew Cole in 1993-94 and Alan Shearer in 1994-95) as Liverpool were crowned champions of England for the 20th time.

He signed a two-year contract extension in April, which would see him stay at the club for a decade.

If Salah is not selected to face Brighton, his next appearance could be for Egypt, who face Nigeria in a friendly on Tuesday before taking on Zimbabwe in their AFCON opener.

Reports on Friday suggested several Saudi Pro League teams had shown an interest in Salah, who was previously the subject of a £150m bid from Al-Ittihad in 2023.