Gary Lineker reckons Mohamed Salah sent a message to Liverpool chiefs against Manchester City amid his contract row.

The 32-year-old Egyptian forward is set to see his contract at Anfield expire next summer, and is yet to sign a new deal with his club of seven years - but it hasn't stopped him from putting on prime performances this season. The Reds currently sit top of the Premier League table with 11 wins, one draw and one loss from their first 13 games of the season - nine points clear of second-place Arsenal.

And their position has certainly been helped by Salah's contributions thus far, with 11 goals and seven assists to his name. The Anfield faithful were therefore right behind their side as they welcomed Pep Guardiola's struggling City side to Merseyside on Sunday afternoon - a highly significant clash in terms of the Premier League title.

And that confidence was also evident on the pitch in yet another dominant display under new boss Arne Slot, walking away from the fixture 2-0 victors. Salah had an impact 12 minutes into the game, when he picked up the ball on the right-hand side of the pitch, cut inside on his left foot and found Cody Gakpo at the back post for the opener.

Recapping the goal on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker made an amusing point about Salah after he created the goal - citing how he subtly looked away in cool fashion after the ball hit the back of the net. The Match of the Day host said: "The first goal, what a move.

"The pass from Trent [Alexander-Arnold] was absolutely exquisite, and the ball from Salah was also - I mean, did you see his nonchalant look-away after he did it? It was like 'Actually, that was quite good'. I think he was thinking, 'I'm quite good at this game'."

Despite not receiving a new contract offer as of yet, Salah clearly hasn't let questions surrounding his future on Merseyside affect his game all too much. After missing a one-on-one in the second half, he atoned for his error by converting the penalty won by Luis Diaz in the 78th minute when he was brought down inside the box by Stefan Ortega.

He looked cool, calm and collected as he made the run up - hitting the ball with venom low and hard into the bottom right corner before wheeling away with his hand to his ear and a smug look on his face in celebration. As he reached the crowd, Salah lifted his arms into the air while leaning back into the sea of red, content with his showing for the evening.

And speaking after the game, Salah revealed that he is still yet to be offered a new deal at Anfield - with the time ticking before the star man is allowed to start speaking with prospective new clubs in January. He explained: "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.

"The atmosphere was incredible so I will enjoy every second here. Hopefully we just win the league and will see what will happen." It's not the first time that Salah has been open about his situation with Liverpool either, sharing last month: "We are almost in December and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club.

"I'm probably more out than in. You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is [almost] December and I haven't received anything yet about my future. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans' hands. Let's wait and see."

Salah is not the only player who finds himself out of contract in next year's summer window either. Stalwart centre-half Virgil van Dijk and full-back Alexander-Arnold also see their own contracts run out in July 2025. Van Dijk is thought to be seeking an extension which will keep him at Anfield until 2027, while Alexander-Arnold has been heavily linked with Real Madrid as first-choice Dani Carvajal is constrained to the sidelines with an ACL injury.