There's good news for Liverpool fans from the unlikely source of the Egyptian government.
The country's sports minister has revealed that Mo Salah is set to renew his contract at the Premier League club.
Salah's current deal expires in the summer of 2023, and the protracted nature of talks about an extension have been a dark cloud hovering over Anfield this season.
It had been reported at the weekend that the 29-year old was close to agreeing a new deal with the quadruple-chasing Reds. Speaking ahead of their Champions League quarter-final with Benfica, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp claimed to be "happy" with how talks were progressing.
"I'm happy with it because there's nothing new to say - that's good, said the German, "The decisive parties are talking to each other and that's all I need."
The hold-up over a new contract appears to centre around cash, with Liverpool unwilling to distend their wage structure to keep hold of the mercurial Egyptian.
“I want to stay, but it's not in my hands. It's in their hands," Salah told GQ Magazine in January, "They know what I want. I'm not asking for crazy stuff.”
Now it seems - at least according to Ashraf Sobhi - that Salah is about to get what he's been requesting.
"I met with Mohamed Salah at the airport after the end of the Senegal [World Cup playoff] match and the failure to reach the World Cup finals and said to him to forget what happened and focus on what’s next," said the Egyptian sports minister.
"I have advised him to continue his journey at a club other than Liverpool, but his direction now is to renew his contract with Liverpool.
“There are campaigns against Salah directed by some to bring him down, but I asked him not to pay attention to them.”
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