Liverpool are reportedly confident that Mohamed Salah will stay at the club during the summer transfer window.
The 31-year-old's contract at Anfield only runs until the conclusion of next season, and he was the subject of a £150m bid from Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad towards the end of the last summer window.
Liverpool swiftly rejected the approach from the Saudi Pro League champions, but they are at risk of losing Salah for nothing in just over 12 months' time, and the attacker's future was plunged into further uncertainty over the weekend.
Prior to his second-half introduction in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United, Salah and head coach Jurgen Klopp were seen arguing on the touchline, as Liverpool's title chances all but evaporated in the English capital.
Klopp played down the exchange at full time, but while passing through the mixed zone, Salah declined requests to talk to reporters and claimed that there would be "fire" if he spoke of the incident.
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Salah 'has shown no desire to leave Liverpool'
Klopp will be departing in the summer to make way for Arne Slot in any case, and according to The Athletic, Liverpool do not expect Salah to follow their head coach out of the Anfield exit door too.
The report claims that the ex-Chelsea and Roma man has given no indication that he wants to leave the club when the campaign concludes, and Liverpool do not want to part ways with him either.
As a result, both parties are seemingly in agreement that Salah will continue in the Liverpool strip for the 2024-25 season, although it is unclear whether the Egypt international will have his contract extended again.
Salah remains on the radar of Saudi Pro League sides, but teams in the Middle East apparently also believe that the attacker wants to spend another year at Liverpool, and they are not pursuing his signature as aggressively as they were.
Instead, the four Public Investment Fund-backed teams in Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli could wait until next summer to make their move, when they would be able to capture Salah as a free agent if his terms are not extended.
Is Salah staying the best move for Liverpool?
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Despite being well into his 30s, Salah continues to send records tumbling in a Liverpool shirt and has been directly involved in 37 goals in 41 games for the Reds, scoring 24 of his own and setting up 13 more this season.
However, the Egyptian's powers have recently started to show signs of waning, as he is now without a goal or assist in his last four Premier League matches, although he was only a late substitute in two of them.
Klopp was also forced to defend Salah's form after the 31-year-old missed a gilt-edged chance against Atalanta BC in Liverpool's Europa League quarter-final exit, and from a business point of view, there are more pros than cons to sell this summer.
While Salah will turn 32 in the middle of June and is soon to enter the final year of his contract, a significant bidding war could ensue between Saudi sides - who should have no reservations about going over the £100m mark - if there is any indication that his time at Liverpool could be up.
Out-and-out replacements for Salah are in short supply within the Anfield walls, though, as Ben Doak is still recuperating from a serious knee problem, while 19-year-old Kaide Gordon is not ready for regular Premier League starts either.
As such, should Salah prove that his recent plateau is just a temporary blip rather than the beginning of a worrying trend, the attacker would no doubt be fundamental to Liverpool's hopes of a successful debut season under Slot.
Ben Knapton
