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Getty ImagesArne Slot says there are “no reasons to not want Mohamed Salah to stay” at Liverpool and will hold further talks with the winger on Friday morning.
Salah said he has been “thrown under the bus” by the club after Saturday’s draw at Leeds and he was subsequently left out of the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League game at Inter Milan.
Salah, 33, also claimed he had “earned his place” in the team when speaking to media in the mixed zone at Elland Road.
Pushed on the future of Salah, who signed a new two-year contract in April, Reds manager Slot said: “I have no reasons to not want him to stay.”
“I will have a conversation with Mo,” Slot added.
“The outcome of that conversation determines how things will look [on Saturday].”
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Liverpool welcome Brighton to Anfield at 15:00 GMT on Saturday as they look to bounce back from successive draws in the league.
The Egypt forward, who has scored 250 goals in 420 appearances for the Reds, has been an unused substitute in two of Liverpool‘s past three Premier League games.
He last played in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland on on 3 December when he came on as a substitute and his last start was on 26 November in the Champions League defeat by PSV Eindhoven.
“After the Sunderland game there were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me,” Slot said.
Salah is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday and depending on how far Egypt go in the competition, might not return to Merseyside until after the final on 18 January.
He has scored five goals in 18 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League this season.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Slot said he had “no clue” if Salah had played his final game for the club but added he is a “firm believer” in the possibility of a player returning to the fold.
Salah was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia last summer and that interest remains, with Saudi Pro League chief executive Omar Mugharbel saying he is a target for clubs.
During Friday’s news conference, Slot was constantly probed about his relationship with Salah and his freedom to make decisions with regard to team selection.
“We decided as a club – and I was part of that decision – not to take him to Milan,” said Slot.
“I am always in contact with them [sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive Michael Edwards] but when it comes to the decision making of the line-up or the squad, they leave that open to me.”
‘May be a happy ending to ugly state of affairs’ – analysis
In a way, it is baffling that Liverpool fans are still unsure whether the game at Anfield on Saturday will be a farewell, as Salah hinted after the Leeds game.
But Thursday was a day off for the Liverpool players and Salah didn’t travel to Milan so it makes sense that the crunch talks between Slot and Salah will take place at the training centre on Friday morning.
The key line from Slot was his insistence that he has “no reasons to not want [Salah] to stay”.
That suggests the door is open for Salah to play again for Liverpool, whether that’s on Saturday against Brighton or after the Africa Cup of Nations.
Asked by BBC Sport whether he still had a relationship with Salah after the Egyptian had said otherwise, Slot laughed and insisted that it would be “useless” for him to answer.
He repeatedly said that the next time he should speak about Salah should be with the 33-year-old and that was indicative of what a gruelling week it has been for Liverpool. For Slot, understandably, there’s no point inflaming the situation further.
On Tuesday, the understanding was that Salah was excluded from the squad for a short period of time.
But even if it’s unlikely, Slot implied that there is still a possibility that Salah may be back in for Saturday and that alone indicates that there may be a happy ending to a truly ugly state of affairs.
