Richard Hughes expected to meet with with agent of Mo Salah for face-to-face talks during AFCON | OneFootball

The future of Mo Salah remains a talking point amid his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The legendary winger had lost his place in the Liverpool starting XI in the weeks leading up to the tournament, prompting an impassioned public outburst after playing no part in the Reds’ 3-3 draw at Leeds in early December.

The 33-year-old did make an appearance off the bench in our final match before he flew out to Morocco, though (the 2-0 win over Brighton), and Curtis Jones revealed that our number 11 apologised to his teammates over his comments at Elland Road.

Salah has since put the drama at club level aside by scoring Egypt’s stoppage-time winner over Zimbabwe in their first AFCON game this week, but discussions over his future at Anfield appear to be imminent.

Richard Hughes set to meet with Salah’s agent

Lewis Steele reported for Mail Sport that Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is expected to meet Ramy Abbas Issa – the agent of the Reds forward – while the player is away on international duty.

The Colombian lawyer is known for his preference of face-to-face conversations over electronic correspondence, and while the chances of a January exit from Anfield seem minimal, a potential summer transfer is deemed ‘something to keep an eye on’.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

What next for Salah at Liverpool?

Salah’s appearance off the bench against Brighton a fortnight ago indicated that he and Arne Slot had reached some sort of a truce in the wake of his infamous tirade at Elland Road, but what happens when the winger returns from AFCON is the major question.

The 33-year-old’s output for Liverpool has dropped significantly this season, hence why he lost his place in the starting XI, but if Egypt were to reach the business end of the tournament and he has a starring role, he’d surely feel that a recall to the Reds’ line-up would be merited.

His chances of going straight back into the team have been heightened by the serious injury to Alexander Isak, with Slot’s forward options currently depleted to an alarming degree, and our number 11 may feel that he has a point to prove to those who’ve castigated him in recent months.

Salah has 18 months remaining on his contract at Anfield, but whether he’ll still be on Merseyside this time next year is difficult to say. If he doesn’t enjoy a renaissance for the Reds in the second half of the season and a foreign suitor were to come in for him, could a summer exit be conceivable?

The microscope will remain firmly on the Egyptian once he returns from AFCON next month, but hopefully his iconic Liverpool story will get the positive ending it deserves, whether that be at the end of this season or in 2027.