Saudi Pro League champions are ready to make the most shocking move of this summer as they are willing to land the hottest property in the Premier League by offering more than £100m to sign Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah. The Saudi Pro League’s transfer deadline is September 20th.
🚨 Al-Ittihad want to sign Mohamed Salah and intend to send an offer of €100M to Liverpool. 💰🇪🇬
The Egyptian could receive €200M over 3 years if he agreed to play in Saudi Arabia. 🇸🇦
(Source: @Gazzetta_it) pic.twitter.com/sUohAz1lHv
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 24, 2023
The news circling the UK suggests Mohamed Salah will only leave for Saudi Arabia this summer if he makes a dramatic late move away from Liverpool.
Mo Salah has been a longstanding target for the Saudi Pro League (SPL) as many big names like Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo have recently joined the Saudi Pro League. Still, it seems Liverpool is reluctant to sell the player.
Liverpool have made it very clear that no offers have been received for Salah, and they are unwilling to let the 31-year-old Egypt captain leave at the start of the season.
There is growing optimism among the Saudi champions Al Ittihad’s Fans as the club is looking to make Salah one of the best-paid players in the world with a salary package worth about £1.5m a week.
Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, confirmed that the player was committed to Liverpool earlier in August. Still, the Al Ittehad has not given up the chase as Salah is currently the biggest Arab superstar, and Bringing him to the club will raise the popularity of the SPL even higher.
Salah became the highest-paid player in Liverpool’s history after signing a new three-year contract worth £ 350,000 a week.
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund owns Al Ittihad, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which announced in October last year that it had signed sponsorship agreements with Saudi clubs worth £1.8bn.
The state fully funds all clubs in the SPL and maintains central control over player signings.
SPL Director of Football Michael Emenalo plays an important role in mapping squads and advising clubs about targets, and signing can only be made with his approval.
Al Ittihad will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia this December, where they will face the European Champions Manchester City.
As things stand, Salah might feature in the upcoming fixture between Liverpool and Newcastle United. Salah’s former team-mates Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino have also made their transfer to the Saudi Pro league, and we are expecting a reunion of old teammates in Saudi Arabia.
‘Salah is just not for sale’
Liverpool have not received any offers for Mo Salah.
They would reject any approaches for the Egypt forward.
Their position is – Salah is not for sale.pic.twitter.com/jzQh39HTBV
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 24, 2023
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“We’ve known for quite a while they want to sign Salah, and that as far as Liverpool are concerned he’s not for sale.
“When these reports started emerging a month ago that they were interested, his own agent came out on social media and said Salah was committed to Liverpool. If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have signed a new contract last summer.
“That contract makes him the best-paid player at Liverpool, still has two years left to run, and Liverpool are very clear that they do not want to sell him.
“But as we’ve seen all summer, these Saudi Pro League clubs don’t take no for an answer. They have their lists of targets, and will do whatever it takes to sign those players.
“They’re not going to give up, and the Saudi window is open for several days after the window closes here. This has a really destabilizing effect on Liverpool, but it’s something everyone in the game in Europe has had to get used to. The Saudi Pro League is here to stay and they have the money to try, and sometimes succeed, with buying the world’s best players.
“I think Mo Salah is just not for sale. He’s Liverpool’s best-paid player. The last thing Jurgen Klopp wants is to lose him so late in the window. Klopp came out recently and said he was unhappy with how the SPL window was open after the Premier League window closed. He was worried about the fact that Saudi clubs could come in and take players away from Premier League clubs after the window was closed here, so they couldn’t replace them.
“If Al Ittihad do try to sign Salah after the window closes next Friday, Klopp’s worst nightmares will have come true.
“This is the transfer market – Saudi clubs have a different window to Premier League clubs. Al Ittihad are doing nothing wrong. They’re trying to sign a player.
“Does every player have their price? Will it get to a stage where the price is so high that Liverpool are tempted to cash in? There’s been no indication so far from the club that this is the case.
“We’ve seen time and again this summer, Saudi clubs identify targets and throw money at these targets. We’re talking about incredible sums of money, and we’ve been told some of these players who are reluctant to move are being told they’ll be given 50 per cent of their wages over the whole term of their contract up front now, tax free, to tempt them to join.“
