Liverpool head coach Arne Slot joked that Mohamed Salah knows more about Manchester City's case against the Premier League than the rest of us, after the Egyptian said over the weekend that he might have played against City for the final time in his Reds career.
Salah said after Sunday's 2-0 win that he had treated the match as possibly his last appearance in a Liverpool vs City game, as uncertainty lingers over his contract with the club, which expires at the end of the season.
Slot was asked about Salah's comments on Tuesday and responded with a cheeky remark about City's ongoing legal battle with the Premier League.
"Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 acquisitions that are done, so he expects them not to be in the Premier League next season," Slot said. "And I do expect them in the Premier League!
"No, I think the boring answer is always the same — this is not the place for me to talk about Mo's contract. Maybe I've already said too much with the joke I've just made [about City], and that will probably get the headlines. But it was a joke! I repeat, it was a joke!"
The hearing into City's 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules began in September and was expected to last around 10 weeks.
If the hearing lasted as long as it was expected to, it will have just about finished, but a judgement is not believed to be imminent, with a verdict expected early next year. Relegation from the Premier League has been mooted as a possible punishment for City if the club is found guilty, but that is just one of a number of possible outcomes.
Regarding Salah's contract situation at Liverpool, it was reported by The Athletic on Monday that the Egyptian would be open to signing a one-year contract extension at Anfield, but that he is still waiting for clarity from the Reds over what they are prepared to offer him.
Salah is said to be frustrated with the slow pace of the talks and is also reported to have doubts over whether the club will meet his salary expectations. Salah feels as though he is one of the best players in the world and wants the terms of any deal to reflect that status.