Mo Salah’s Liverpool Future Back in Focus as Champions League Decision Looms

Will Salah play vs Marseille? Liverpool are in talks over a potential return for next week’s Champions League clash after he returns from AFCON.

Discussions are under way between the club and Mohamed Salah over whether he will return to Arne Slot’s squad for next Wednesday’s trip to Marseille.

The Egypt superstar is still at the Africa Cup of Nations, where he is due to play in Saturday’s third-place play-off against Nigeria, but is expected back on Merseyside early next week.

Whether that return includes an immediate place in Liverpool’s Champions League plans remains unresolved.

Will Salah return for Liverpool’s Champions League tie?

Slot confirmed talks are ongoing about Salah’s involvement in the Marseille fixture, Liverpool’s penultimate group-stage match.

“That is something we are talking about together now,” Slot said. “He is back next week. We are in talks with him about what is expected of him over there, what is expected over here. But first of all, he needs to play another big game for Egypt on Saturday.”

The timing isn’t ideal. Salah hasn’t started a club match since November, and his absence has coincided with an 11-game unbeaten run for Liverpool.

That run has stabilised results, even if they haven’t been entirely convincing, but it has complicated the question of how – and when – Salah fits back in.

Slot’s comments suggested he’s open to reintegrating the player back in.

“I am happy that he comes back,” he said. “Mo has been so important for this club, for me. Even if I had 15 attackers, I would still be happy he came back, but that is not our current situation.”

Salah relationship with Arne Slot

Salah left for AFCON with his Liverpool future under a cloud.

In a public outburst before his departure, he accused the club of making him a scapegoat during a poor run of results and said his relationship with Slot had broken down.

That came after he was dropped following a 4–1 Champions League defeat by PSV Eindhoven, and it led to a conversation around whether Liverpool should sell Salah.

Liverpool haven’t lost a game since, but the football has been uneven. Control has improved. Cutting edge has not always followed. And with Alexander Isak currently out with a broken leg, attacking depth is thinner than it was when Salah last featured.

How does Slot handle Salah’s return?

Salah has 18 months remaining on his contract and has made it clear he believes his status warrants a starting role.

How that aligns with Slot’s insistence on merit, balance and squad harmony is the heart of the tension.

Slot, for his part, has kept conversations private.

“What happens between Mo and me, on the phone or over here, stays between the two of us,” he said. “I don’t think it is necessary for me to share all the private conversations I have.”

Liverpool’s hierarchy are understood to have been keen to speak with Salah’s representative, Ramy Abbas, during the tournament, partly to ease tensions and partly to establish a framework for what the next phase looks like.

Will Salah play vs Marseille?

A Champions League away tie in Marseille is not a gentle reintroduction and will provide a tough encounter.

Salah’s return, if it comes, will be closely watched. Not just for what he does on the pitch, but for what it says about his standing under Slot.

Liverpool don’t need to rush the decision. But they do need clarity soon.

Salah is back next week. The Champions League awaits. But are both sides ready to move forward together?