Mohamed Salah's Liverpool return date to be confirmed after heartbreaking AFCON exit with Egypt

The Times reports on how Liverpool officials are in “discussions” with Salah. The Reds are understandably keen to establish when the 33-year-old winger will be ready to resume his 2025-26 campaign.

He is scheduled to be back on Merseyside next week, after facing Nigeria on Saturday, but no definitive date has been set for a recall to the ranks at Anfield. Instead, questions have continued to be asked of how long Salah will be sticking around with the Premier League champions.

Prior to jetting off to AFCON, Salah aimed an explosive blast in the direction of Liverpool and head coach Arne Slot. He claimed to have been thrown under the bus, while being restricted to bench duty, and admitted to seeing his working relationship with the Dutchman break down.

He was dropped for a Champions League clash with Inter, but returned to the fold for a Premier League date with Brighton - a game that saw him record an assist after being introduced as an early substitute.

Liverpool have fared admirably without Salah, with their unbeaten record across all competitions being extended to 11 games. They have not always been convincing, though, during that run and have seen record signing Alexander Isak suffer a broken leg.

Salah’s firepower, with 250 Liverpool goals to his name, will be most welcome as Slot’s side continue to compete on domestic and continental fronts. They are due to travel to Marseille for their next European outing on Tuesday, after playing host to Burnley on Saturday.

Slot is giving little away when it comes to Salah’s potential involvement in a meeting with Ligue 1 heavyweights, but admits that contact has been made between all parties. He said when asked about Salah’s impending return: “That is something we are talking about together now. He is back next week. We are in talks with him about what is expected of him over there, what is expected over here. But, first of all, he needs to play another big game for Egypt on Saturday.

“I am happy that he comes back. Mo has been so important for this club, for me, so I am happy that he is back. Even if I had 15 attackers, I still would have been happy if he came back but that is not our current situation.”

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The Times claims that “the Liverpool hierarchy had been expected to reach out to Salah’s representative Ramy Abbas during the tournament to discuss the downturn in relations between the club and a modern-day icon”. There are still issues to resolve there.

Salah only signed a new two-year contract back in April 2025, with 18 months left to run on that deal, but there have been suggestions that he could be offloaded in the summer transfer window amid ongoing interest being shown from the Saudi Pro League.

Slot is reluctant to be drawn on that subject. He added when asked if he has personally been in touch with Salah during his AFCON exploits: “What happens between Mo and me, on the phone or over here, stays between the two of us. I don’t think it is necessary for me to share all the private conversations I have.”

Salah will, having spearheaded Egypt’s quest for AFCON glory as skipper of his country, be fully match sharp when rejoining Liverpool’s ranks. He has not, however, started a game for the Reds since figuring from the off in a humbling 4-1 Champions League defeat to PSV on November 26.

It remains to be seen if more bench duty awaits when back at Slot’s disposal or whether a more prominent role will be taken on that allows professional bridges to be rebuilt and a lucrative deal - which will take him to a decade of service at Anfield - to be honoured.