Liverpool told ’90 seconds’ that’ll decide Mo Salah future, as Jones clarifies Klopp ‘dig’

Pundit Ally McCoist has discussed the ’90 seconds’ which will be key to Mo Salah staying at Liverpool or leaving this summer, while Curtis Jones has responded to claims that he criticised Reds icon Jurgen Klopp during a recent interview.

World-class Liverpool trio Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all have contracts which expire next summer, which has led to very concerning rumours that they might move on. Jude Bellingham is trying to convince Alexander-Arnold to join Real Madrid, while Saudi clubs are interested in both Salah and Van Dijk.

It could be argued that Salah is the most likely player out of those three to leave, as he was the subject of a massive £150million offer from Al-Ittihad last year, and Saudi teams remain very keen to land him. They are simply waiting for the forward to state that he is willing to consider an Anfield exit before re-starting negotiations.

It recently emerged that Liverpool will not be offering Salah and Van Dijk bumper new contracts, due to the fact they are both over the age of 30. While Alexander-Arnold will be offered a pay rise, Salah and Van Dijk will be given the chance to pen short-term deals which are heavily incentivised through bonuses.

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This is a risky strategy though, as the pair are two of the best players in the world, and they will know their worth.

In an interview with talkSPORT, McCoist has claimed that when Arne Slot sits down with the Egyptian goalscorer, he will know within ’90 seconds’ whether Liverpool should ‘cash in’.

“If I was Arne Slot, I would sit Salah down and figure out what’s going on in his head and whether he is happy at Liverpool,” the Scot said.

“You need to get a response from him and find out exactly where he is mentally, because if he’s not happy, you have to cash in. It’s simple.

Liverpool latest: Verdict on Mo Salah situation

“If he is not 100 per cent committed to moving forward with the club and the new manager, then you’ve got to cash in now.

“From Liverpool’s point of view, you would hope he would say he loves where he is and can see himself at Anfield for the next two or three years.

“His form may have been a little bit indifferent last season, but he still scored plenty of goals. He’s been one of the greatest players in the Premier League.

“The key players for Liverpool are Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk and Salah. It goes without saying how pivotal and important they have been. And ideally, you don’t want to be losing any of them.

“But they’ll know within 90 seconds of the conversation with Salah whether they should cash in on him or not.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Jones has had to explain some of his recent comments about this being the happiest period of his career, which some reporters have angled as a ‘dig’ towards former manager Klopp.

The 23-year-old reacted by saying: “The principles are always the same; we want to work hard, press, dominate teams.

“That’s what I think came across a little bit wrong, [which is why] I’d like to say now on this, I’ve seen things that it seemed like I was disrespectful in a way.

“But Jurgen knows I’d never be that kid. He knows how much I love him, that I love all of his staff. It was just me saying that how I’m going to play now is a little bit of a change.

“He’s given me the platform and belief in myself to know I’m a kid who can step up as well. I’m not just a kid who’s a squad lad; I can really be counted on.”

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