Slot: "Next Salah Discussion Will Be With Him; I Want Him to Stay"

Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed his intention to hold a private meeting with forward Mohamed Salah before the team's upcoming match against Brighton.

Salah was notably excluded from the squad for last Tuesday's Champions League fixture against Inter Milan, following the Egyptian international's recent criticism directed at the club and his coach, Slot.

Speaking at the press conference ahead of the Brighton clash, Slot stated: "I will have a conversation with Salah this morning, and the outcome will determine how things look tomorrow. What I need is to speak with him personally, and the next time I talk about him, it should be with him and not here."

He added: "I've had a lot of conversations over the past week between his representatives and ours. You can try to ask me in different ways, but I've said that the next discussion about him should be between him and me."

Regarding the reason for Salah's exclusion from the previous match, Slot explained: "I believe we made the decision as a system, and I was part of it. I am always in communication regarding the squad, and this matter largely falls to me. I speak with Richard Hughes more than Michael Edwards, and we discuss several matters."

On his desire for Salah to remain at Liverpool, Slot reiterated: "That's a question phrased differently, but the next time I talk about him will be with him. I see no reason not to want him to stay."