Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp issues blunt four-word update on Mohamed Salah’s future

Jurgen Klopp has attempted to put to bed any suggestions that Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool amid interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

It emerged last week the Saudi Arabian side were keen on signing the Reds winger but Klopp shut down any suggestions the player would be leaving Anfield.

The 31-year-old joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017 and signed a new contract last summer to become the highest paid player in the club’s history.

“There is nothing to talk about, he is a Liverpool player,” said Klopp ahead of Sunday’s dramatic win over Newcastle United.

“He is essential and will be. There is nothing there. My life philosophy [is] I think about a problem when I have it.”

It was put to Klopp by Sky Sports after Sunday’s win at St James Park that a rumoured move to Saudi Arabia had not quite gone away, but Klopp bluntly responded: “For me, it has.”

Liverpool came from a goal down with 10 men at Newcastle with Darwin Nunez scoring a brilliant double in the latter stages. A poor clearance from Sven Botman allowed the striker to get some space on the right-hand side of the penalty area as he brilliantly fired across Nick Pope into the far corner.

Then, in stoppage time, a perfectly-weighted pass from Salah found Nunez in the same area as he found the far corner with another superb finish.

The assist from Salah again highlighted the winger’s importance to Liverpool, with the player providing two assists and a goal in three Premier League games this term.

Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, has also made clear the player has no desire to leave Liverpool. He wrote on Twitter on August 7 following earlier transfer links: “If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC.”

Salah has made 308 appearances for Liverpool - scoring 187 goals and providing 81 assists. Al-Ittihad have already signed Fabinho from Liverpool this summer and recruited some other big names from Europe - including Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté.

Salah scored 44 goals in all competitions in his first season for the Reds, 32 of those came in the Premier League as he set a new record for goals scored in a 38-game season. That was surpassed by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland last term.

The Egyptian has won three Premier League Golden Boots and won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup during his time with the club - playing an integral role in all of those triumphs.

He was named FWA Footballer of the Year and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for 2021-22 after Liverpool won the domestic cup double and finished second in the Premier League while also reaching the Champions League final as they fell just short of an historic quadruple.