Mohamed Salah was told to leave Liverpool following Egypt’s failure to reach the World Cup – but he revealed he intends to stay at Anfield.
The Liverpool forward was unable to guide his country to Qatar 2022 as Egypt lost 3-1 on penalties to Senegal last week.
And Egypt’s sports minister has revealed a conversation he had with the 29-year-old following international heartbreak and advised him to take on a new challenge at club level amid contract talks on Merseyside.
‘I met with Mohamed Salah at the airport after the end of the Senegal match and the failure to reach the World Cup finals and said to him to forget what happened and focus on what’s next,’ Ashraf Sobhi told Egyptian radio, as reported by Metro, on Monday.
‘I have advised him to continue his journey at a club other than Liverpool, but his direction now is to renew his contract with Liverpool.
‘There are campaigns against Salah directed by some to bring him down, but I asked him not to pay attention to them.’
Salah is yet to commit to new terms at Liverpool and enters the final year of his current deal in June, with negotiations in progress.
Just last month Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa seemed to laugh off Klopp’s claim that they ‘cannot do more’ to get the star man to sign a new deal, plunging his future into doubt.
The situation surrounding the Premier League top goalscorer’s future has been a hot topic in recent months but reports emerged last weekend that Salah was edging closer to agreeing a new deal.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp revealed talks over a new contract were ongoing on Monday, saying he was ‘happy’ with the way things are shaping up.
‘I am happy with it because nothing new to say, that’s good,’ he said at his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Benfica tonight.
‘The decisive parties are talking and that’s all I need.’
Salah, who made the switch to Anfield from Roma for just £39million in 2017, has been in sensational form this season, notching 28 goals and supplying 10 assists in 37 appearances.
His last goal came in the 2-0 victory at Brighton last month but has the chance to rediscover his form in front of goal in European action.