Mohamed Salah quickly responded to questions about his ongoing contract situation after scoring in Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Leicester City.
The 32-year-old netted his 16th goal of the season, securing the win for Arne Slot’s side, who are now seven points clear at the top of the Premier League following Chelsea’s defeat earlier in the day.
Salah is one of three Liverpool stars, along with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the campaign, and he will be free to negotiate with foreign clubs starting January 1.
The Egyptian forward caused a stir last month when he revealed that he hadn’t been contacted about a new deal, but when asked about his contract status on Boxing Day, he chose not to reveal any details about the negotiations. Instead, he offered season’s greetings and looked ahead to the next opportunity to play in front of fans at Anfield — a New Year’s Day clash against Manchester United.
“I want to tell [the fans] Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,” Salah said to Amazon Prime. “And I’ll see them in the next game here.”
Mohamed Salah was characteristically cryptic in his response to a question about his contractual situation .
The Egyptian scored his 16th Premier League goal of the season to help the Reds past Leicester.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot also refused to provide an update on negotiations of three of his side’s key men
Any fans hoping for clarity from Mohamed Salah were left disappointed by his manager’s comments as well. Since his arrival in the summer, Arne Slot has consistently avoided addressing contract questions publicly.
“We don’t talk about contracts in public,” Slot stated after leading the Reds to their 13th Premier League win in 17 matches.
“This is something for the players and [sporting director] Richard Hughes, and it’s not up to me to talk about those situations in public,” Arne Slot said, reiterating his stance on contract discussions.
“But it’s clear that Mo [Salah] again had a good game, Van Dijk had a very good game, Trent for the most part was very good, one or two exceptions, but especially in the second half, really good. That we can talk about, not about the contracts.”
The Dutchman’s firm response contrasted with his generally positive mood following Liverpool’s commanding performance. Despite an early scare from Leicester City, who took the lead after just six minutes, goals from Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and Salah secured a 3-1 victory for the Reds.
Liverpool’s win extended their lead over Chelsea at the top of the Premier League and widened the gap to defending champions Manchester City to a 14-point difference, with Slot’s side having played one game fewer than their rivals.
Arsenal will have the opportunity to reduce the gap to six points when they host Ipswich at the Emirates on Friday night.