Arne Slot fends off awkward questions over Mo Salah’s future with ‘joke’

Arne Slot sent a thinly veiled joke to rival Manchester City after the 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola's side on Sunday when he asked questions about Mohamed Salah.

The Reds inflicted an embarrassing defeat on Sunday on their Premier League title rivals at Anfield, leaving them nine points clear of Arsenal in second place at the top of the table, and 11 points clear of Manchester City.

Salah featured for the Reds with a goal and assist in the encounter, which further piled the pressure on Liverpool as the Egyptian superstar is currently out of contract at the end of the season.

He had previously spoken out about the situation after the win over Southampton, claiming: 'I'm probably more out than in'.

After starring against City, he had further fanned the flames by hinting that this could be 'the last City game I play for Liverpool' at home, raising further questions about the striker's future at Anfield.

However, Slot avoided the tricky line of inquiry and instead focused on his title rivals and the 115 allegations of breaching financial regulations that City currently face.

Asked whether Salah's comments were 'part of a dance' that ends with the player signing up and committing his future to the Anfield club, Slot laughed before giving his answer.

“Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 charges, so he expects them not to be in the Premier League next season!” he chuckled, “I expect them to be in the Premier League.”

'No, the boring answer is always the same, this is not the place for me to talk about Mo's contract. Maybe I've already said too much about the joke I made that will probably make headlines.

“It was a joke, I repeat, it was a joke!”

Salah is one of three Liverpool players whose contracts expire at the end of the season, with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also facing uncertainty over their futures.

Alexander-Arnold has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, where his good friend Jude Bellingham stars in midfield.

The trio will be able to begin contract negotiations with foreign clubs from early January, meaning the pressure is only likely to increase on Liverpool to sign their three key figures for the future.

Liverpool's head coach admitted there are discussions 'every day' about potential transfer targets but is optimistic he won't have to enter the market to solve a defensive injury crisis.

Last week, Ibrahima Konate, a virtual ever-present alongside Virgil van Dijk, and Conor Bradley were joined by Kostas Tsimikas on the sidelines for what is expected to be a long spell after the problems against Real Madrid.

Following their failure to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in the summer, the only addition to the squad came in late August with the arrival of Federico Chiesa, who saw little action due to fitness issues.

Slot said they were constantly looking at opportunities for reinforcement, but defense was probably not an area.

“We have discussions every day, regardless of whether a window is coming or not,” he said.

“It's a bit worrying at the moment that three defenders are out, but the good thing is that as soon as the window opens, the defenders are back.”