Mohamed Salah’s best friend in football, former Liverpool star Dejan Lovren, has revealed the sliding doors moment that could have convinced the Anfield icon to continue with the club next season.
The Egyptian legend announced some weeks ago that he would bring the curtain down on his history-making nine-year stint with Liverpool this summer, one year before his £400,000-a-week contract was due to end.
While the 33-year-old’s last season with the club was tinged with several disappointments – punctuated by Salah speaking about the club’s demise under Arne Slot – he will be remembered as one of their all-time greats.
However, theories have since floated around that, had the Reds decided to sack Slot earlier, then Salah could, and would, have stuck around for longer.
And since his removal as boss, that was floated as a serious option once again.
Now confirming that had Slot been removed earlier, Salah could have seen out his final year, Lovren has added fuel to the fire by saying that, when asked if the Egyptian would have stayed had he known Slot was facing the sack.
“Yeah, 100 per cent was going to stay,” Lovren told Winwin.
“Believe me, it would’ve been 100 per cent. I know it, but the timing was bad. Only an idiot would say we don’t need him anymore.
“I mean, you say you don’t need Mohamed Salah at Liverpool when he can still perform for another two or three years at the highest level, then we have trouble understanding football.”
Lovren also confirmed what many suspected anyway: that Slot and Salah did not have a good relationship.
“I don’t think it’s management, I think it’s just one person, and I think it’s just the coach,” Lovren, who left Liverpool in 2020, added.
“They didn’t have a good relationship, let’s just say it as it is, with Klopp, he had a really beautiful relationship.
“They weren’t always perfect, but they knew each other well, let’s say that too; they trusted each other, they loved each other, they did everything on the pitch for Klopp, and Klopp gave him confidence, but (with Slot) everything was the opposite.
“It’s that simple, and everyone knows that because when you look at the previous eight or nine seasons, they’ve done really well.
“Then in the last season…now people will say, ‘oh yes, but he also did well in the first year that Slot came in,’ but I don’t think it was because I think he just took the team the way it was, as the team was already.
“So, as I said, it’s sad, in my opinion, that Mo leaves like this. I never expected that. Especially since he had another year.”
DON’T MISS: One hurdle left for Mo Salah to STAY at Liverpool after Arne Slot sack
Liverpool line up transfer for £120m-rated Yan Diomande
However, despite the speculation, there seems no way back for Salah at Anfield and a parting of ways now seems inevitable this summer.
While the Reds have been planning for his replacement for some time, and with TEAMtalk reporting way back in December that they were in contact over a summer 2026 move for Yan Diomande, that transfer has now gathered serious pace.
That’s according to the i paper, who state the 19-year-old Ivorian is ready to say YES to a move to Anfield and is thrilled at the thought of being the heir to legendary winger Salah.
And with David Ornstein recently stating Liverpool are better placed to agree personal terms with the player than PSG, the i paper state discussions over the fee with Leipzig have now opened.
Diomande had been valued at €100m / £86m throughout the early part of 2026, though his rapid progression and the fact two of world football’s biggest sides are prepared to spend heavily on him has resulted in Leipzig upping the stakes.
It’s now claimed the Bundesliga outfit want around €140m / £120m before letting the player go. Ideally, Leipzig would retain the wide man for one more season, but if a club does meet their valuation, all bets are off.
However, Liverpool are exploring various ways to try and negotiate a lower fee.
As revealed in an exclusive update on Sunday, one avenue they could potentially go down is using Cody Gakpo in a deal, as discussions between Liverpool and Red Bull continue.
Want more breaking news and transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Googleto your favourites list for news you can trust.