Mohamed Salah intends to sign a new contract at Liverpool, Egyptian Sports Minister Ashraf Sobi said.
Sobey said he advised Salah, 29, to leave Anfield only for the Egypt striker to say he was likely to extend his contract until June 2023.
“I would advise him to continue his journey with a club outside Liverpool, but his direction now is to extend his contract,” Sobey said.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he is “pleased” with the progress of his new contract.
“Key parties are talking to each other and that’s what I need,” Klopp said.
Salah said in January that he wanted to stay at Liverpool, but his future lies with the club.
“You know what I want. I don’t ask for crazy stuff,” he told GQ magazine at the time.
“Management has been informed of the situation. It is in their hands.”
Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, made a laughing emoji in March after Klopp previously claimed he was “completely fine” in terms of a deal . Recent reports suggest that Salah is close to agreeing a four-year contract worth £400,000 a week, with a salary compromise in exchange for a longer term.
Sobey said his conversation with Salah came after Egypt’s penalty shootout defeat against Senegal in a World Cup qualifier.
“I told him to forget what happened and focus on what came next,” Sobhi said.
Salah has scored 153 goals for Liverpool in 240 appearances since joining from Roma for £34m in 2017.
A year later, he re-signed after scoring 44 goals in his debut season.
Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020.