Slot confirms Liverpool transfer priority and makes exit admission

Salah is in the final weeks of his nine-year Reds career having announced last month he will leave at the end of the season on a free transfer.

After winning the Premier League title last term, Liverpool overhauled their squad by splashing out a record-breaking £450million on new players while raising almost £300m in sales.

And while not anticipating the same level of business this time around, Slot has indicated there are key areas that need to be addressed.

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"Last summer we made quite a lot of signings and that is why we traded so much," said the Reds head coach, who will also see Andy Robertson depart at the end of his contract in the summer.

"In the four windows I'm here now we've had a net spend of £150m and that says what kind of club we are.

"We know Robbo and Mo are going to leave so that means changing two players, but we also know Kostas Tsimikas comes back (from loan at Roma).

"So the first aim is to see how we are acting in the position of Mo, if we want to replace him with a similar player or if we are going to do that differently.

"For the rest, I don't think at this moment in time there is a chance of other players leaving. Of course there is the Ibou (Ibrahima Konate) contract situation.

"I don't think in numbers (of how many we need). I think of areas. We already know some players are going to leave. Let's see what happens in the summer.

"You know we are a trading club, so let's first see what is actually going to happen in the summer then we know better what to bring in. There might not be such a big need of trading a lot if we don't need to bring a lot of players in."

Liverpool saw their final hopes of silverware this season dashed in midweek when, despite dominating for significant periods, they lost 2-0 at home to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final to slip out 4-0 on aggregate.

The Reds must now focus on maintaining their top-five berth to secure Champions League qualification for next season without Hugo Ekitike, who faces a long spell out having ruptured his Achilles tendon on Tuesday.

But Slot, whose side visit Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time on Sunday, is adamant there is much reason for encouragement for Liverpool in the coming campaigns.

"For the people who watched the PSG game, the home game, it is fair to say for me the future does look bright," said the Reds boss. "We were able to have more possession, 21 shots and generated a higher xG against a team that is used to the fact they dominate ball possession.

"Even if you have to take into account that Hugo had to go off after 30 minutes, Alex had to go off at half-time, if you would see them for 90 minutes being in their best shape then this team has already shown as they have done in so many other moments that they could compete with the best in Europe.

"We have beaten three other quarter-finalists at home in Atletico, Real Madrid and Arsenal. That tells you that this is already a strong team. But it will take some changes with Robbo and Mo leaving."