'He needs these performances' - Arne Slot admits Mohamed Salah form making contract negotiations tougher but Liverpool boss 'hopeful' of extending talisman's stay on Merseyside

The Egyptian forward, whose current deal is set to expire at the end of the season, has been in unstoppable form, contributing 25 goals and 16 assists, bringing his total goal involvements to an astonishing 41. While discussions between Liverpool’s director of football Richard Hughes and Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas, have been ongoing for months, they are yet to thrash out an agreement on the extension details.

As Salah continues to deliver outstanding performances, securing his long-term future at Anfield is proving to be a more complex challenge. When asked whether Salah’s form makes it easier or harder to finalise a new contract, Slot admitted that it can be viewed from different perspectives.

"You can see it both ways," the Dutchman explained. "The better he does the more expensive he may become but if he was doing bad, we would be having second thoughts about extending his contract. I think for everyone it is the best that he brings in the performances he is now."

Slot is eager to see Salah stay at Anfield but hinted that it might take more than just financial incentives to convince the 32-year-old to commit his future to the club.

"Maybe for the one that has to pay him it isn't the best but for everyone else, it is the best because if you want to play at this club you need to be at his level otherwise you are almost useless to play at this club," he said. "We only need players that are at the top of their game because this is one of the best if not the best club in the world to play for. He needs to have these performances to play here and hopefully to extend here."

Salah further cemented his importance to Liverpool in their recent 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. He opened the scoring to move six goals clear in the Premier League Golden Boot race with Erling Haaland in the second spot with 19 strikes.

With Arsenal suffering a setback against West Ham, Liverpool have now surged 11 points clear at the top of the table. They will look to continue their dominance when they face Newcastle in their next league fixture on Wednesday.