Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian star, has revealed that talks over a new contract with Liverpool have not progressed significantly, despite his dazzling performance in a 5-0 victory over West Ham on Sunday.
The win helped the Reds extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points.
Salah, who scored one goal and provided two assists in the game, has now tallied an incredible 20 goals and 17 assists in just 24 appearances across the Premier League and Champions League this season.
However, his future at Anfield remains uncertain, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season. Alongside teammates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah could begin discussions about a free transfer with foreign clubs as early as January 1.
Despite reports suggesting that an agreement is close, Salah dismissed the claims in an interview with Sky Sports.
“We are far away from that,” Salah said. “I don’t want to put something in the media and people start saying stuff, but nothing really has moved on. Now I am focused on the team and hopefully we win the Premier League.”
Liverpool’s dominant form has put them in pole position to claim a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title, and Salah is laser-focused on helping his team achieve that milestone.
“The only thing in my mind is that I want Liverpool to win the league and I want to be part of it,” Salah added. “That is the only thing I have focused on. I will do my best to win the trophy. We are in the right direction, but there are other teams trying to catch up with us. We just need to stay humble and go again.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who has won 23 of his 27 matches since succeeding Jurgen Klopp, hailed Salah’s form this season. When asked if Salah is currently the best player in the world, the Dutchman agreed that his statistics speak volumes.
“If you look at his numbers, you can’t argue that, but there are different players in different leagues that have a lot of quality,” Slot said.
“But Mo is definitely up there at the moment. He could have scored more today, but I also liked his work rate for the team without the ball. He’s in a very good place. Let’s hope he can stay like this for a long time.”
