Klopp: New Salah deal can't be agreed over a cup of tea in the afternoon

Jurgen Klopp has reiterated that patience is needed as Liverpool continue to hold contract talks with Mohamed Salah, saying it is not something you can agree over a "cup of tea in the afternoon".

Salah's current Reds deal expires in June 2023 and his future has long since been the subject of speculation.

The prolific forward has declared that he wants to remain at Anfield, but no agreement has yet been reached between the club and the Egypt international.

Salah reportedly told MBC Masr TV that his future is "in the hands of the management and they have to solve this issue".

Klopp on Monday stated that the club's stance has not changed.

He said in a news conference on the eve of the Champions League clash at Milan: "We know exactly what he's about and we are talking.

"Extending a contract with a player like Mo is not a thing you do where you meet for a cup of tea in the afternoon and find agreement. That's completely normal.

"There's really nothing else to say about Mo. He speaks about it when he's asked about it, I can only say a few things because all the rest is not for the public obviously.

"I'm not sure if he gave the interview in English or it got translated from Arabic into English and this is a massive issue.

"A lot of things can happen when somebody tries to do that. Mo is fine, I'm fine, I think what we all want is clear and things like this need time, that's it."

Klopp refused to be drawn on whether Salah will start at San Siro as the Liverpool boss rotates his side amid a hectic schedule with qualification for the round of 16 already secured.

"We have to rotate, we will rotate, that's clear. We have to is the headline, actually. We will make changes and if you make changes you get in fresh legs. If you get fresh legs you get a high energy in the game. If we have high energy we will have a chance to play a good game," he said.

"I cannot give you the line-up but we cannot change all [the players]. We will see if Mo plays or not and if he scores. The players are very understanding, not only the players who don't play but the players who have to play.

"We want to field the best possible side for this situation we are in. We played five games in the last 14 or 15 days, which is a lot.

"Then after the Milan game we have to play the same number of games in a similar amount of time, so we have to make the right decisions and we will."