Jurgen Klopp ‘happy’ with Mohamed Salah’s contract situation at Liverpool

It was reported at the weekend that the Egypt forward, currently on a deal running to 2023, was close to agreeing a new one that would keep him with Liverpool until the end of his career.

Klopp was asked about the contract situation at his press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg trip to Benfica.

And he said: “I’m happy with it because there’s nothing new to say.

“It is just good. The decisive parties are talking to each other and that’s all I need.”

While Salah is Liverpool’s top-scorer this season with 28 goals in all competitions, he has only netted once – with a penalty – since February.

And Klopp added: “He might not have scored from open play, but it’s not too important. The performance level is, for me, important.

“In moments, he could decide sometimes in a better way, no doubt, but it is a tough gig for Mo and Sadio (Mane), with the Africa Cup (of Nations), coming back, being immediately for us available again. That was really, really special.

“We see him every day in training and playing and there’s nothing to worry about, apart from that we have to manage the physical part as well.”

Liverpool – injury-free going into Tuesday’s match – play Benfica away and home either side of Sunday’s crunch Premier League clash with Manchester City, who they trail by a point at the top of the table.

The Reds then meet City again on Saturday, April 16 in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Klopp, whose side won the League Cup in February, said – when asked about the mental side for his players of dealing with big game after big game: “We are used to it and we enjoy it.

“At the moment it’s very exciting and interesting. There’s no problem with that, it’s all good. It’s the situation we dreamed of if we would have dreamed before the season. So now we are here, let’s try to get the most (out) of it.”

In Lisbon, Klopp this week returns to the city where he was on holiday in 2015 when he received a phone call about the Liverpool job and decided to take charge.

The German on Monday said the moment was “life-changing definitely” and that it “just felt right from the first second”.

He has subsequently overseen Liverpool winning trophies including the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020.

And the German said: “I would love to say we were (league) champions in 2019 as well and that we won the Champions League final in 2018 (they finished runner-up in both), so that all would have been great. But I don’t judge my time here about the trophies too much.

“I know everybody else is doing that, but for me it is the way we play and develop and the way the club is, the position the club is in is much more important. It is a healthy club in a good situation.

“I know the stories on us are very positive in the moment and rightly so, the boys deserve it, but we all know one failure, one little wrong step and at least one competition could be gone so we have to make sure.

“We just feel ready for the next challenge and that’s all I need.

“There is no big celebration about the development of the club in the last few years, it’s just really serious work and I am very, very happy about that.”

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