Klopp: "I know Mo wants to stay, we want Mo to stay. These things take time, but I think all of it is in a good place. I'm very positive about it."; Watch Liverpool vs Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm on Thursday; kick-off 7.45pm
Wednesday 12 January 2022 17:57, UK
Jurgen Klopp says he knows Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool, insisting contract negotiations with the Egyptian are in a good place.
Salah said in an interview published by GQ this week that he is "not asking for crazy stuff" in contract talks, as he reiterated that it is up to Liverpool to decide his future.
The forward, whose contract at Anfield runs out in the summer of 2023, has stated he wants to stay at Liverpool but the two parties are yet to come to an agreement over a new deal.
"Nowadays it's dangerous with these interviews when you don't speak to the player himself," Klopp said ahead of Thursday's Carabao Cup visit of Arsenal, live on Sky Sports.
"I know Mo wants to stay, we want Mo to stay. These things take time, but I think all of it is in a good place. I'm very positive about it. The fans are not as nervous as you (the media) are.
"They know the club pretty long, they know the people dealing with the different things here pretty long, so I think it is enough reason to be positive.
"But as long as it is not done, we can't say anything about it. Good conversations, that's what I can say.
"There are so many things you have to do in these negotiations. There is a third party, the agent in there as well, but there is nothing to worry about, it is a normal process.
"No one has to worry. It is just the situation. He has a contract here this season and the next season. Really, all fine. It's not done - that's why we didn't get this news - but we have talks.
"That is just the situation, but all fine. He's a world-class player, great boy, done great stuff for Liverpool and we want to keep him."
Klopp said he also sees no reason why the forward, currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations, cannot remain at the top level well into his mid-30s like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"His character, his determination, it's the way he trains. His attitude, his work-rate is incredible, first in, last out, doing the right stuff.
"You can do some not-so-good things when you are in training and in the gym for a long time but he knows his body, he knows what to do and he is listening to the experts here.
"He tries to improve all the time. He works so hard for the situation he is in now and he will not waste it by doing less."
Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O'Connor, who covers the club closely, explains the situation…
First and foremost this is not just about money. Salah is still ambitious, with his hunger to win undiminished.
At some point, this is a Liverpool squad that will need refreshing. Roberto Firmino is now 30 years of age, Sadio Mane is 29, Jordan Henderson is 31, Thiago Alcantara is 30, Virgil van Dijk is 30, and Fabinho is 28.
Salah will want to see that there's a continued commitment from the club to add quality to what they have got, with the intention of maintaining Liverpool's ability to challenge for titles.
Salah is now an all-time Liverpool great as a Premier League and Champions League winner.
So, in terms of the wage he can command, his market value is as high as it has ever been.
He's been labelled as the best player in the world on current form, yet currently, he's reportedly the fifth highest-paid footballer globally.
He was the top earner at Liverpool until Van Dijk signed his new contract. Now the figures being talked about around a new deal are in the region of £300,000 a week.
Salah's current contract expires in 2023. It makes sense, at the age of 29, with this being potentially the biggest contract of his career, that he would want a deal that reflects his status in the game.
At the same time, he wants to stay at Liverpool. He told Sky Sports in October he would like to spend the rest of his career at the club.
"If you ask me, I would love to stay until the last day of my football career, but I can't say much about that - it's not in my hands. It depends on what the club want, not on me," he said.
He has a strong relationship with Jurgen Klopp and he's settled in the Liverpool dressing room.
Even when linked with Barcelona, while flattered, he said he's happy at Liverpool and at the moment prefers to stay in the Premier League as it is the strongest league in the world.
But there was a broad hint in that Sky Sports interview he needs to feel the love from the Liverpool hierarchy and he followed that up in an interview with Egypt's MBC Masr.
Salah reiterated while he wants to extend his Anfield contract, Liverpool's owners have an issue to solve.
"Your financial value shows how much the club appreciates you and that they are ready to do anything for you to stay," he said.
When Jurgen Klopp was asked about this he responded: "Extending a contract with a player like Mo is not something where you meet for a cup of tea and find an agreement. That's completely normal.
"Mo is fine, I am fine. What we all want is clear and things like this need time."
There is goodwill on both sides to reach an agreement on a new contract.
Ideally, Liverpool would like to get this done before it gets to the stage where Salah goes into the final year of his current deal without securing his future beyond that.
From the club's perspective, they need to find the magic figure that confirms Salah's status among the elite of world football, while being mindful of their wage structure and not upsetting that.
They are also operating in a transfer market where the financial clout of Real Madrid and Barcelona has been drastically reduced, which in turn, reduces the chances of pushing up a potential transfer fee as high as possible if it looks as though an agreement is not going to be reached.
At the same time, with Salah's contract running down, there is potential in the future for clubs to better the wage offer coming from Liverpool if it gets to the stage where he's likely to be available on a free transfer.
Michael Edwards has got so much right in his time as the club's sporting director, especially when it comes to tough negotiations.
Before he leaves in the summer, securing Salah's long-term future at the club could be his biggest success of his time at Anfield.
Who will be on the move in January?
The January transfer window opens on Saturday January 1, 2022 and closes at 11pm on Monday January 31.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
