Ex-Liverpool star urges Arne Slot to make key transfer after Mohamed Salah verdict

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Liverpool.com or go back to LFC Live.

Ryan Babel has suggested that "political reasons" may have been behind Mohamed Salah's failure to secure the 2025 Ballon d'Or award. The former Liverpool star also expressed his belief that Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong would be a perfect fit for Arne Slot's squad.

Dembele was ranked higher than Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, his PSG teammate Vitinha, and then the Egyptian international, who was absent from the Liverpool team present at the Theatre du Chatelet on the night in Paris. "I think Frenkie de Jong is a Barcelona midfielder who can add a lot to Liverpool, he's a world-class player, and any team would be lucky to have him.

I hope to see De Jong with Liverpool one day." On Slot and his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, Babel added: "I think coach Arne Slot has proven that he has added great value with his distinctive style of play with the team, he won the Premier League title last season, and now he has to continue to build and develop, he has a great personality and a different distinctive style. Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona (Image: Judit Cartiel/Getty Images) "No-one knows exactly what is the reason behind the [recent] decline in the performance and results of the Liverpool team in the recent period, but it is normal for the team to go through a difficult season after a successful and big season".