Egyptian minister of Sports, Ashraf Sobhi says he has advised Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool.
Sobhi further suggested that his advice hit the rock because Salah is now planning to renew his contract with Liverpool.
The 29-year-old is yet to renew his contract with the Reds but his agent is currently negotiating with the club to have him stay at Anfield, with a big-money four-year deal rumored to be on offer.
According to Egypt’s sports minister Ashraf Sobhi, Mohamed Salah is set to commit his long-term future to Liverpool.
Salah is out of contract in 2023 and is yet to reach an agreement with Liverpool over a new deal.
According to the minister, some people are out to bring down Mohamed Salah and make a mess of his career.
Liverpool and Salah are being expected to reach an agreement over a new deal as his current contract expires next year.
Reports in England suggest that the Egyptian forward had rejected a contract worth £400,000 a week.
Other reports say that Salah had made a U-turn on his previous demand to be the highest paid player in the English Premier League for the love he received from Liverpool fans after Egypt failed to qualify for Qatar 2022.
However, when Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked on Monday about how the contract talks are progressing, he said: “I am happy with it because there’s nothing new to say, that’s good.
“Just good. The decisive parties are talking to each other and that’s all I need. That’s it.”
But in an interview with Egyptian radio on Monday, the Egyptian Minister said that he personally advised Salah to leave Liverpool.
“I met with Mohamed Salah at the airport after the end of the Senegal match and the failure to reach the World Cup finals and said to him to forget what happened and focus on what’s next,” Sobhi told Egyptian radio on Monday.
“I have advised him to continue his journey at a club other than Liverpool, but his direction now is to renew his contract with Liverpool.
“There are campaigns against Salah directed by some to bring him down, but I asked him not to pay attention to them.”
The Liverpool forward was unable to guide his country to Qatar 2022 as Egypt lost 3-1 on penalties to Senegal last week.
Salah is yet to commit to new terms at Liverpool and enters the final year of his current deal in June, with negotiations in progress.
Just last month Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa seemed to laugh off Klopp’s claim that they ‘cannot do more’ to get the star man to sign a new deal, plunging his future into doubt.
Abbas posted seven crying with laughter emojis on Twitter shortly after Klopp spoke about Salah’s future at Anfield.
The situation surrounding the Premier League top goal scorer has been a hot topic for months but reports emerged last weekend that Salah was edging closer to agreeing a new deal.
He is believed to have rejected a £400,000-a-week offer from the club in December.
Salah, who made the switch to Anfield from Roma for just £39million in 2017, has been in sensational form this season, notching 28 goals and supplying 10 assists in 37 appearances.
His last goal came in the 2-0 victory at Brighton on March 12 but he has the chance to rediscover his form in front of goal when Liverpool face Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tonight.
