Salah has been performing exceptionally well this season, yet his contract is set to expire in June, leading to ongoing speculation about a potential transfer to the Saudi Pro League.
During an interview on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel on Thursday, Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal was questioned about whether Salah represents the "big prize" for the nation in the Middle East.
“Definitely, because if he ticks all the right boxes, even for us, we’d love to have him,” the sports minister said.
“We feel like we are one with the Egyptians, from our culture and our history and so on.”
Salah, 32, is leading the Premier League with 19 goals this season. Back in December, he mentioned that he was still “far away” from finalizing a new contract at Anfield.
Liverpool's manager, Slot, emphasized during his pre-match press conference on Friday that the club is eager to retain their star striker, who has been with them since 2017.
“We want him to extend, of course, as well,” he said. “That is clear, but I’m not surprised that Saudi wants him, I’m also not surprised if other countries want him as well.
“He’s old and wise enough, he’s done so many smart things in his career that he will make the right decision for himself and hopefully for us as well.”
The Dutchman mentioned the Saudi connections, saying, “He’s done so well without my advice for a long time, so he can probably keep doing what is best for his career, even without my advice.
“But my advice to him would be different from the one you just mentioned.”
Liverpool's skipper Virgil van Dijk and England's Trent Alexander-Arnold are both set to have their contracts expire at the end of the season, which is causing some stress for the Premier League leaders.
Slot, whose squad is up against a strong Bournemouth side this Saturday, mentioned it would be “ridiculous” not to discuss the future with his players, but he kept tight-lipped about how the contract negotiations are going.