Konate leaks whether Salah is leaving Liverpool to French media | OneFootball

Ibrahima Konate offered a hugely telling hint from inside Liverpool’s dressing room on whether Mohamed Salah is staying or going.

Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Brighton. The victory actually means Liverpool are now undefeated in their last five matches across all competitions, with the Reds’ season finally showing signs of revival after a truly ghoulish run during the autumn.

Understandably, the headlines pre-match were dominated by Salah in the wake of his explosive comments one week ago.

Salah was omitted from the squad to face Inter Milan midweek but recalled for the Brighton clash. And after Joe Gomez suffered a muscle injury in the first half, Salah was called upon earlier than expected, with the ever-versatile Dominik Szoboszlai shifting to right-back.

Salah was at the heart of everything Liverpool did well going forward and grabbed an assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second goal from a corner.

It was a timely reminder of how important the Egyptian is to Liverpool despite his advancing age, and also how much Liverpool might struggle when he’s gone.

With Salah now jetting off to AFCON, the question on Liverpool fans’ minds is has Salah played his final match for the Reds?

Saudi Arabian interest is strong and if given even the slightest encouragement a deal is there to be made, gigantic sums will be put on both Salah and Liverpool’s tables.

But if post-match comments made by Konate are anything to go by, Salah will NOT be leaving Liverpool in the winter window.

Asked by the French media if Salah’s cameo vs Brighton would be his final bow for Liverpool, Konate after a wry smile replied (translated into English): “Personally, no, I don’t think so. Today you saw how much he loves this club.

“What happened with him – you have to understand the frustration sometimes felt by players who have such a career, who have done so much.

“He is a player that everyone loves, the coach loves, he loves the coach, everyone loves each other at this club.”

Slot speaks on Salah situation

Throughout the saga, Liverpool have always maintained the stance of not wanting to sell Salah next month, and wishing to continue their relationship until next summer at least.

Arne Slot and Salah held discussions at the back end of the week that were understood to be positive. The issues between the pair are not fully resolved, but a step very much in the right direction was taken, and Salah’s recall for the Brighton game is evidence of that.

Salah did not look like a man who was about to leave on Saturday, either during the game or after it. The winger is notorious for being single-minded on the pitch but at times, tried almost too hard to provide for his teammates when passing up shooting opportunities of his own.

His actions and body language were those of a man attempting to prove to his teammates and manager he is Liverpool first, individual second.

Furthermore, Slot insisted he wants Salah to remain a Liverpool player with his own post-match comments.

Asked if Salah has played his final match in red, Slot told Sky Sports: “I think you already know the answer to that.”

In another interview and in a reply to questions about whether Salah will return to Liverpool after AFCON, Slot simply stated: “Yes!”

Latest Liverpool news – Konate successor / Elliott explainer

In other news, Liverpool have Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet on their wishlist as a potential replacement for Ibrahima Konate, according to a report, with another source revealing the shock transfer fee that Reds sporting director Richard Hughes is looking for for the France international defender.