Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he hopes Mohamed Salah will extend his contract with the club.

The Egyptian winger is out of contract in the summer but Merseyside hope he will agree to extend his stay at Anfield.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Salah continues to excel at Liverpool, scoring 21 goals in 28 appearances this season, en route to becoming the fourth-highest goalscorer in the club’s history.

Speaking at his first press conference as Red Bull’s global head of football, Klopp spoke of Salah’s importance to the club.

He said: “I hope it stays.

“He is LFC’s greatest striker in modern times. Obviously they had other good strikers, really good strikers.

“But fantastic player, fantastic human being, fantastic sportsman, great ambassador (Egypt) is really fantastic in all departments. So I hope he stays at Liverpool.

🗣️ “Great player, wonderful human being”

Jurgen Klopp says he hopes Mo Salah stays at Liverpool 🔴 pic.twitter.com/nGIKygzSSO

– Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 14, 2025

Klopp left Liverpool at the end of last season, marking the end of a hugely successful era that saw the Reds win the Premier League, Champions League and several other pieces of silverware along the way.

His departure shocked the football world, with the German declaring he no longer had the energy to stay in the dugout.

Since then, he has taken up the role of head of football with Red Bull, drawing criticism from fans of his former club.

But Klopp has now explained why he accepted his new role away from direct management.

He added: “I’ve always said I love what I do, but that’s when I thought I couldn’t work anymore. It was the same in Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool. I am brutally honest with myself.

“It wasn’t just the energy. After over 1,000 games on the sideline, thousands of press conferences I don’t want to do it anymore. I didn’t even want to stop working, I just wanted to start something different and fresh, and this opportunity offered that.

“I had heard things but I had no plans in this direction. I was focused on becoming a manager. I wanted to be the best version of myself in this role. It’s very intense when you’re in the job I was in for so long.

“Game after game, you keep a certain level and I wasn’t completely happy with that. I wanted to learn new things and when I heard about this role, I knew I would do it.”

Liverpool have performed well since new boss Arne Slott took over. The Reds are top of the Premier League, in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and top of the Champions League table.