Jurgen Klopp: Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool hasn't even crossed my mind
Klopp insists the club would not even entertain the idea of letting their prize asset leave Anfield
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claims the prospect of selling Mohamed Salah has not even entered his head.
The Egypt international has scored 39 goals in all competitions in a record-breaking first season for Liverpool since £36.9m switch from Roma.
Almost inevitably it has seen the 25-year-old linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer. However, Klopp insists the club would not even entertain the idea of letting their prize asset leave Anfield anytime soon.
“It’s not a situation I would even think about it,” he said. “Around nine months ago he came in to make the next step in his career - and he did it. To come to Liverpool, he had different options and he wanted to come here. If we now always start talking after a year and is it ‘will he leave?’ or whatever then I don’t think about.
“It was in the German interview and he asked me pretty much the same question. Yes, I’m confident. I don’t think, I know he will be here. That’s all. It’s only because people always have something to write, to talk about and all the stuff.
“On the other side, we don’t want to change all the time -- ‘now settled here, now go there in completely new surroundings’. We have a big chance here to create something for the future. In the moment we have to deliver performances, collecting points, winning.
“The age group of the team is really good. We are still young and full of potential and all that stuff. My impression at the moment is that they are all excited about being in this group.”
Meanwhile, Klopp says there is no ill feeling towards Tottenham striker Harry Kane after he pressed for a dubious goal in Tottenham’s win over Stoke to be credited to him.
The goal was awarded to Christian Eriksen during the match but an appeal by Spurs saw the decision reversed and added to Kane’s tally for the season.
Salah is four goals ahead of Kane on 25 in the race for the Premier League’s golden boot.
“I’m in football since ages and I know how strikers are,” Klopp added. “If he felt the touch then he felt the touch. I don't doubt Harry Kane a little bit. Mo is the same kind of person. You score a goal [then] you score a goal -- that’s how it is.
“I’m still not sure who scored the goal at Maribor when Roberto and Mo went both in, but I saw both celebrating. It’s good because scored in the end. I think that’s normal and it’s not about me to judge that or whatever. He’s [Kane] a fantastic player. I don’t know him as a person, but he looks like a good guy as well.
“Strikers are different, they have to be different and we all like it. In this case, it was not obvious. But how I said, if he felt it then he felt it.”
Liverpool were paired with Roma in the semi-finals of the Champions League draw on Friday, although Klopp claimed he is fully focused on Saturday’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth.
Even though Liverpool are 10 points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea the German refused to rest on his laurels.
He said: “It sounds like you think we already in the top four! That's your life. Our whole life is qualifying for the Champions League so it means the two games against Roma will be about qualifying for the next round, which will be the final and all the other games are about qualifying for the Champions League next year.
“So because our opponents in the fight for the top four are too strong and you cannot think they will not win every game or whatever. It's impossible. We need to be focused on Bournemouth, West Brom, Stoke, Chelsea and then Brighton, 100 per cent. In the specific games against Roma we will ready for that.
“Rome is the only place of the three options we had where I have never played before. That's already exciting. It will be two difficult games because they are fantastic side. You saw the two games against Barcelona. If somebody only saw these two games then you know already pretty much everything about Roma
“Until we face Roma, we will know everything about them. I watched the second leg against Barcelona that was outstandingly good.”
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