Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a quip about Manchester City's 115 charges from the Premier League when asked about Mo Salah's contract situation.
Slot spoke to the media at the AXA training centre on Tuesday off the back of a huge 2-0 win over City at Anfield on Sunday, which put the Reds nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Salah set up the opening goal with an exquisite pass for Cody Gakpo, before sealing the win with a penalty in the second half after Luis Diaz was fouled by Stefan Ortega.
Despite all the talk about his contract, the Egyptian proved his worth again and now has 13 goals in 20 appearances this season. After the win over City, Salah admitted that it could well be his final appearance against Pep Guardiola's men at Anfield, telling Sky Sports: "Honestly, it's in my head. Until now, this is the last City game I will play for Liverpool, so I was just going to enjoy it."
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His comments once again sparked debate amongst the Sky Sports panel and Slot was asked about Salah's future ahead of the trip to Newcastle United.
But he proceeded to joke that Salah was making the remarks because of City's current case with the Premier League, which could see them kicked out of the league if they are found guilty.
"Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 acquisitions [charges] that are done, so he expects them not to be in the Premier League next season," Slot said.
"This is not the place for me to speak about Mo's contract. Maybe I've said too much already about the joke I've just made. So that will probably get the headlines, but it was a joke, I repeat it was a joke."
City's hearing began in September and was expected to last for a period of 10 weeks. If found guilty, possible punishments include heavy fines, points deductions or even relegation.
But a verdict is not expected before the end of the season, with the latest update claiming that it could drag on into next season.
Topics: Arne Slot, Manchester City, Liverpool
Josh Lawless