Mohamed Salah sent a cryptic social media post on Saturday at the end of a dramatic and sensational week of Liverpool transfer news.
That has mainly revolved around Trent Alexander-Arnold, with a growing expectation that the defender is set to join Real Madrid this summer when his contract expires at Liverpool. But Salah and Virgil van Dijk have also drawn speculation and their fair share of headlines given their futures remain unresolved.
Reports have suggested that t he Reds remain hopeful that the pair will pen new deals, even if Alexander-Arnold’s future looks set to take him to Madrid. But at the end of a dizzying week of speculation, Salah posted a video on his Instagram account, initially showing Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai, before the camera sharply panned to Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool defender was deep in conversation with his team-mates – perhaps explaining in his own words what has happened during the international break and where his future resides? The video appeared to be recorded in someone’s house and did not include audio.
What Salah’s intentions were with the video is unclear, but he’s certainly pointing and drawing attention to the drama and intrigue that has unfolded this week. Could he be trying to persuade Alexander-Arnold to stay? Or even suggesting that he and the 26-year-old are aligned in their thinking? It’s impossible to say, but Salah does have previous for sending speculative Instagram posts and he shared a photo of himself, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold after the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in January.
Like this week, that came just days after fresh reports had emerged about Alexander-Arnold’s future, on that occasion claiming he had been subject of a £20million bid from Real. As for Salah, several reports in recent days have indicated he is getting closer to agreeing a new deal at Anfield.
None of the Liverpool players were in action this weekend despite the culmination of the international break. Instead, the FA Cup quarter-finals are taking place over Saturday and Sunday, with Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest so far booking their spots in the last four of the competition.
Liverpool makes its much-anticipated return on Wednesday, 17 days on from that Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle United, when it faces Everton in the second Merseyside derby of the season. Alexander-Arnold won’t be involved in that game as he is suffering from a hamstring injury sustained in the recent Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
But the right-back’s reception will be fascinating when he does return given social media reaction to this week’s news has been particularly volatile. It’s expected that Alexander-Arnold’s move to the reigning European champions could be announced in the next few weeks, with Liverpool already considering replacements in the transfer market.
