Arne Slot admits that the financial package required to secure the long -term future of Mohamed Salah in Liverpool may increase due to its incredible form.
Salah was majestic again on Sunday in the 2-0 victory in Manchester City and achieved his number of goal contributions for the season to 41 from just 27 games.
The Egyptian is up to date to break the record for most target contributions in a single Premier League season, a record of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, both of which made 47 out of 42 games.
Magnificent, Mo 🤩 pic.twitter.com/1lHPT9Qgua
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 25, 2025
Salah’s efforts have contributed to Liverpool before the game of tomorrow evening with Newcastle at Anfield at the top of the table with an 11-point lead and slots to win the title.
The contract expires at the end of the season
What happens then stays in the air because his contract will take place in June, but the place hopes that the 32-year-old will stay on Merseyside until the next season.
Asked whether his recent heroes make negotiations difficult, said Slot: “You can look at this in both ways because he gets all the more expensive, but if he goes bad, we would have the second overview of the expansion of his contract. I think for everyone it is the best that he brings into the performances he is now.
“Perhaps for those who have to pay him, it’s not the best, but it’s best for everyone else.
“We only need players who are at the top of their game because this is one of the best, if not the best club in the world for whom you can play for. He must have these performances to play here and hopefully extend here. “
No comparisons with Messi and Ronaldo
Salah’s goals and templates this season mean that he was compared with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their pomp with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but the slot was not ready to go into so deeply.
He added: “It is so difficult to compare players with each other, and it is not fair for anyone. Mon has his own career and he was excellent.
“Mo had some outstanding seasons here in Liverpool and we hope that he can continue this for a longer period of time, but first he has to extend his contract.”
The way it looks, Salah is the leading candidate for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, although there is still a lot of time for other players to make a name. And Slot admitted that players who win team awards are usually preferred.
“It is good that Mo is in the discussion because he is doing well, and we are doing well, but so that he should stay in this discussion, he should bring in the same performances as it has been for seven or eight months.
“I think in general is someone who wins the balloon also win something, so it’s a big challenge that lies ahead of us and in front of him. What I like is that he accepts this challenge by not only having a big goal and great support against MAN City, but also that the team wins because his defensive work rate, especially in the second half, was excellent.
“I think that’s what it takes to have the chance to win something, and if we as a team can win something, he will have a much better chance of winning the balloon d’Or.”
Wholesale changes unlikely
The slot will resist the temptation to switch too much to Newcastle after his recent experimentation in Plymouth in the FA Cup. In his Fringe players, a poor representation was produced in a 1-0 defeat.
He added: “These players are trained and ready for it. They are in a certain rhythm and have shown many times this season that they are able to do so, but it was the reason why I changed the cast so drastically against Plymouth because I don’t think they can do all season.
“You need every four or five weeks, a normal week and what I mean with a normal week are two games a week, not three games a week. Of course, it hurt us in the FA Cup, but it also means that these players can now play five games in a row to the highest degree. “
Alexis Mac Allister is probably fit, but Conor Bradley is still missing.
