Is there any way back for Salah and Liverpool?

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It will go down as one of the most explosive interviews in the Premier League era.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah stunned most people on Saturday evening when he claimed his relationship with manager Arne Slot had "broken down".

The Egyptian, arguably one of the Premier League's greatest players, cranked up the pressure on Slot after spending the third game in a row on the substitutes bench, as Liverpool let a lead slip twice in a 3-3 draw with Leeds.

Claims such as he had been 'thrown under the bus' and that 'someone didn't want him at the club' were probably the last thing Slot wanted to hear put into the public, especially after a forgettable run of form that leaves the champions ninth in the Premier League.

But what now for Salah at Liverpool? The 33-year-old only signed a new two-year deal in April but admitted on Saturday he was unsure whether he had played his last game for the club.

BBC Sport takes a closer look at what happens next to the player who has scored 250 goals in 420 Liverpool appearances.

Salah rarely speaks to the media but when he does it is typically because he has something important to say.

That approach was taken to a new level with Saturday's explosive comments.

When he was approached in the mixed zone at Elland Road, he was clear with reporters that he wanted to speak to them.

It's unclear whether this was on the spur of the moment out of frustration or something more calculated.

His comments quickly went around the world and put Liverpool head coach Slot under increased pressure and scrutiny.

On Sunday, in the aftermath, there was little sign that there was any regret or walking back from what Salah said.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told BBC Sport that Salah's relationship with Slot is genuinely broken at present.

They said he simply doesn't see a future at Liverpool with Slot as his manager. That is quite the turnaround from a Premier League title won just eight months ago shortly after a lucrative new contract was announced.

Sources say that Salah has also been irritated by a feeling that pundits and former players are putting forward a narrative that he is one of the main reasons Liverpool have struggled this season.

Salah is said to feel that Slot has been influenced by that media commentary – yet when he has not played the Reds arguably haven't played any better.

We were told that Salah feels a different tactical approach this season driven by the club's transfer dealings isn't suiting him.

Those sources were at pains to say how much Salah loves Liverpool and also how frustrated he has become at their struggles.

BBC Sport was told on Saturday that Liverpool are open-minded about Salah's future amid Saudi interest. Al-Hilal, managed by Simone Inzaghi, are understood to be among the teams interested.

It is believed that there have been no concrete talks as yet. At present, it seems Salah is keeping his options open, and it is a busy time for him with Africa Cup of Nations duty beckoning on Monday 15 December.

Liverpool fans - and the world of football in general - will be waiting to find out the next installment with bated breath.

And they aren't going to have very long to wait with Monday likely to be a key day.

The Reds are due to have an open training session on Monday morning, ahead of Tuesday's important Champions League match at Inter Milan, so all eyes will be on whether Salah is in attendance.

We are yet to hear from Liverpool since, but the big question will be will Salah be travelling with the squad to Milan after open training?

Slot is then expected to talk to the media for the first time since Salah's interview broke on Monday night, with all focus certain to be on their relationship.

Was he surprised by the interview? Is there a way back for Salah? Is he still in his plans for Tuesday night? All questions Slot will have to field in Milan.

A day later, Liverpool will be facing Inter Milan looking for a win to move them back into the top eight of the Champions League - but will Salah be involved?

The Reds then face Brighton at Anfield on Saturday, Salah's last match before he was due to meet up with the Egypt on Monday for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Whether Salah will even be at Anfield is currently uncertain and, if he is, the reaction of the supporters towards his outburst would be very interesting.

Whatever happens, you feel the next seven days will be very telling with regard his Liverpool future.

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green, told BBC Radio 5 Live:

He only ever speaks when it's going wrong for him or it's not going swimmingly. He's done it a few times after games and you just think maybe someone have a word in your ear.

But what this does do is give Arne Slot an open goal now with whatever he wants to do. Now, with the Afcon coming up and with this outburst it's kind of a gift for Slot to say no one is bigger than the club, out you go.

Or he can bring him back into the squad, nurse him back into the team but do it under his say so.

The pressure is completely off Arne Slot now, really it's an error from Mo Salah because realistically with that draw (at Leeds) and the difficulty they are having this season, just stay quiet because the pressure grows, game by game that you don't play.

This is Slot's to decide now. For me, Salah is an all-time great for Liverpool, for everything he's done. You're now saying you're going to leave at some point. It might be now, January might come around and they say it's best for all parties if you go now – it wouldn't surprise me if that happened.

BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Conor McNamara: At Elland Road it's very close. The press conference room is right near the player tunnel and players are always going out to the team buses, it's old school in that way.

In the mixed zone where players walk through and normally they pretend to be on their phone to avoid speaking to the media, that's what usually happens.

Mo Salah came out and had things to get off his chest. It ended up being there were more journalists out there than there were in the press conference where Arne Slot was speaking at the same time. This was all happening simultaneously but that immediately became the story that everyone was talking about last night.

Ex-England striker Michael Owen, posted on X: Oh Mo Salah. I can imagine how you feel. You've carried this team for a long time and won everything there is to win. But this is a team game and you simply can't publicly say what you've said. You're going to afcon in a week. Surely you bite your lip, enjoy representing your country and see how the land lies when you get back?

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