Klopp claims stand-off with Salah is no problem

JURGEN KLOPP has called for patience as Liverpool attempt to thrash out a deal that will keep Mohamed Salah at Anfield. Salah has 19 months remaining on his current deal and at the weekend, speaking to a TV station in his home country Egypt, the forward said the onus is on Liverpool to get the situation sorted and that he would be happy to stay with the club for the rest of his career. This issue has been rumbling for a year but Klopp, whose side face AC Milan in their final Champions League group game tonight, is relaxed, regardless of Salah bringing up Barcelona in the interview. Salah, who is not expected to start in the San Siro but has travelled to Italy, is crucial to everything Liverpool are aiming to achieve but Klopp has explained that negotiations between Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s sporting director, and Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa are on-going. ‘You know exactly what Mo is about,’ said Klopp, who will play Saturday’s last-gasp hero Divock Origi from the start in Milan. ‘We are talking — extending a contract with a player like Mo is not you meet for a cup of tea in the afternoon and find an agreement. That’s normal. Mo speaks about it and I can only say a few things because the rest is not for the public. I’m not sure if he gave the interview in English or Arabic and it was translated and arrived in English. But Mo is fine, I am fine. What we all want is clear and things like this need time.’ Klopp will make wholesale changes to his team in the San Siro as their place in the knockout stages has been secured. Joe Gomez, James Milner and Naby Keita could feature, as well as Greek full back Kostas Tsimikas. Liverpool can get through the group with a perfect six wins out of six for the first time. Milan, by contrast, need a win to have a chance of progressing. AC MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kalulu, Tomori, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Kessie, Tonali; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Leao; Ibrahimovic LIVERPOOL (4-3-3) Kelleher; Williams, Konate, Gomez, Tsimikas; Milner, Keita, Morton: Minamino, Origi, Oxlade-Chamberlain. Kick-off: 8pm, LIVE on BT Sport 2.