Steven Gerrard has revealed he spoke privately with Mohamed Salah after the forward publicly accused the club of casting him aside, warning him against departing Liverpool amid controversy. Gerrard said he sensed an issue following Salah’s explosive comments in early December, which were sparked by frustration at being benched.

Those remarks briefly made it feasible that the Egypt international could have travelled to the Africa Cup of Nations and completed a move in January, potentially never playing for Liverpool again. Gerrard, a guest on Stick to Football, believes the episode may be something Salah later regrets. He said: “That told me that there was an issue. Going back before that, I think Liverpool as a club probably only wanted to give Mo Salah [a contract for] one year rather than the two.

“It’s in everyone’s interests for it to end, but also on Mo Salah’s terms. I spoke to him around that interview [in December] and said to him, ‘Look, don’t do what you’ve done and go under a cloud.’”

Manager Arne Slot handled the fallout and was quick to describe the matter as water under the bridge, prioritising the club’s second-half season. That approach leaves Salah with the chance to deliver a lengthy farewell on the pitch.

Former Liverpool defender Škrtel, who left a year before Salah arrived from Roma in 2017, paid tribute to the forward’s nine-year impact. Škrtel told The Football Historian after a recent Legends match: “Obviously he decided to leave and we have to accept it, we wish him all the best for the future, but obviously we’ll be missing him.

“But that’s football, players leaving and new ones coming, but definitely Mo leaves a legacy behind him and I’m just happy that he was wearing our shirt. I just wish him good luck for the future.”

There is no firm decision on Salah’s next destination. Bayern Munich have distanced themselves from approach rumours, while moves to Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona appear unlikely. Salah seems destined for Major League Soccer or the Saudi Pro League, both offering sizable wages. Gerrard, who briefly played for LA Galaxy after leaving Liverpool in 2015 and later managed Al Ettifaq, has not offered a full endorsement of those competitions’ quality.

Alexander Isak is due to rejoin Liverpool’s group training this week after a three-month absence caused by a fractured leg and ankle injury. The striker is scheduled to take part in team sessions on Thursday, manager Arne Slot confirmed.

“I think Alex is in a really good place because Sweden qualified for the World Cup yesterday evening, and apart from that he’s going to train with the group again for the first time tomorrow,” Slot revealed in a brief interview with Liverpoolfc.com on Wednesday.

Slot cautioned that returning to collective training is only an early step in the recovery. “If you’ve worked so hard for three, four months or something like that and then to return to team training, that’s for everyone [is] very nice. So, Alex is, in that sense, in a good place.”

The manager underlined the need for gradual progression. “It’s only his first session after three or four months [out], but it’s good to have him back because we all know who we signed, and we’ve signed an incredible striker,” Slot added. “To have him again in a team that’s usually generating quite a lot chances—and maybe not immediately he can start—for the last two months [of the season] is, I think, very helpful for us.”

Isak’s path back to match fitness will take time. He struggled with fitness after a summer spent trying to force his way out of Newcastle United and arrived at Liverpool lacking condition. He did not score his first Premier League goal for the club until the end of November. The goal against Spurs that caused the injury was only Isak’s second in the league.

Liverpool travel to Manchester City in the FA Cup on April 4, a game Isak almost certainly won’t play. After that, the Reds face Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain, with the two legs of that tie sandwiching a Premier League match with Fulham. Seven months after a $168.75 million (£125 million) transfer made him the most expensive player in English soccer history, Isak has had a difficult start to the 2025/26 season.

RB Leipzig have set a steep valuation for 19-year-old Yan Diomande, with the winger reported to require an offer of roughly $115.3 million (€100 million, £87 million) to be considered for sale. Manchester United, Liverpool and other clubs monitoring the player face a transfer window in which Leipzig’s broader planning will determine whether Diomande moves on.

Sky Sport Germany has reported Leipzig will prioritise other departures before processing any sale of Diomande. The club’s negotiating position is reinforced by the player’s contract, which runs to 2030. Leipzig see Diomande as a valuable asset but are prepared to sell only if the fee reflects that value; on the subject of his availability the player is described as “not unsellable,” but only for an offer that matches the enormous price tag.

Much of Leipzig’s summer strategy depends on transactions elsewhere in the squad. Centre back Castello Lukeba, who has been tentatively linked with Real Madrid and Liverpool in recent months, represents the most valuable asset expected to move in 2026. Factoring potential exits for Lukeba, Antonio Nusa and players currently out on loan, including striker Loïs Openda, Leipzig could generate around $230.8 million in outgoing funds over the summer without needing to sell Diomande.

A route other than an immediate summer transfer is plausible and mirrors a recent precedent at the club. Benjamin Šeško, now at Manchester United, attracted significant interest after an impressive debut season with Leipzig that produced 18 goals in all competitions. Šeško agreed improved terms with Leipzig in the summer of 2024, with an understanding he could leave for an acceptable fee the following year. Manchester United completed a $98.6 million transfer for Šeško in August 2025.

Diomande heads into his first World Cup with Ivory Coast this summer, a stage that may influence how clubs and Leipzig approach his next contract and any potential transfer.