Salah ‘wants to sign new Liverpool contract’

Mohamed Salah intends to sign a new deal at Liverpool, says Egypt sports minister Ashraf Sobhi.

Sobhi said he advised Salah, 29, to leave Anfield, only for the Egypt forward to say he was likely to extend a contract that runs until June 2023.

“I have advised him to continue his journey at a club other than Liverpool, but his direction now is to renew his contract,” Sobhi said.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he was “happy” with progress on a new deal.

“The decisive parties are talking to each other and that’s all I need,” Klopp said.

Salah said in January he wanted to stay at Liverpool but that his future was up to the club.

“They know what I want. I’m not asking for crazy stuff,” he told GQ magazine at the time.

“The administration have [been] told the situation. It’s in their hands.”

Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa tweeted laughing emojis in March after Klopp”s previous claim that he was “completely fine” with progress on an agreement.

Recent reports claim Salah is close to agreeing a four-year deal worth £400,000 per week in wages, having compromised on salary in exchange for longer terms.

Sobhi said his conversation with Salah came after Egypt’s penalty shootout defeat in last week’s World Cup qualifying play-off against Senegal.

“I said to him to forget what happened and focus on what’s next,” said Sobhi.

Salah has scored 153 goals in 240 appearances for Liverpool since arriving from Roma in a £34m deal in 2017.

He signed a contract extension a year later, after scoring 44 goals in his debut season.

Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020. (BBC)