Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, and Jordan Henderson have all succumbed to the enticing offers of Saudi Arabian clubs this summer. However, Al Ittihad are not giving up on signing Mohamed Salah, despite the significant swoop Saudi Arabia has already done for Liverpool’s first-team players.
Al Ittihad have improved their bid for the Egyptian talisman. They seemingly plan to make him Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement in the Saudi Pro League, but are met with fierce opposition as Liverpool considers Mo Salah a crucial member of the team.
Salah targeted for record-breaking move to Saudi Arabia
Anfield is where Saudi Arabia usually goes to shop. The Saudi Pro League has done a significant swoop for Liverpool’s players this summer. Unfortunately, unexpected first-team player departures have badly hampered Jurgen Klopp’s preparation for the new season, but losing Mohamed Salah would be the most significant blow so far.
Initially, Al Ittihad prepared a salary worth £180m for a two-year contract, while Liverpool would receive £60m in transfer fee, but as expected, Liverpool appears to be doing all they can to keep the Egyptian. Moreover, Salah’s representative has maintained that the 31-year-old Liverpool forward will remain at the club this summer, but it appears that Al Ittihad has not given up as they have now improved their offer.
Managed by former Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers coach Nuno Espirito Santo, Al-Ittihad has put forth an enticing proposal to Liverpool for their star player. According to the Sun, the offer stands at £150 million, and it includes a comprehensive package: a five-year contract featuring a substantial basic salary of nearly £100 million.
Additionally, the proposal encompasses provisions for a private jet or unlimited plane tickets for the player’s family. Notably, there’s an opportunity for the player to become an ambassador for promoting tourism and investments in Saudi Arabia, which would further augment the player’s overall compensation.
However, Salah’s representative has maintained that the 31-year-old Liverpool forward will remain at the club this summer. As confirmed on the Anfield website, Ramy Abbas Issa, Mohamed‘s representative, said, “If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC.”
Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, confirms that anything is possible despite their efforts to keep Mohamed Salah at the club; “The window is open. And until then, pretty much anything can happen. On outgoings, from my side, nothing will happen, but I learned a lot of things in this window. Incoming, there is still time, so let’s look, and that’s what we will do.”
Liverpool declares Mohamed Salah not for sale
Mohamed Salah currently holds the distinction of being the highest-paid player in Liverpool’s history. He inked a fresh contract last summer, amounting to approximately £350,000 per week, which is set to run for two more years. Following Jordan Henderson’s departure, Salah has assumed a role in Liverpool’s leadership group and remains an indispensable asset for manager Klopp.
Out of the fear of losing Salah, Jurgen Klopp has once openly asked some critical questions about how the Premier League window closes before that of Saudi Arabia, making it nearly impossible for any Premier League team to replace any player that moves to the Saudi Pro League.
‘One of the worst things, if I’m not mistaken, is that the Saudi Arabian market lasts three more weeks. UEFA or FIFA have to remedy this,’ he said.
Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool understand that there is little they can do to stop Mohamed Salah if he eventually decides to leave the club, especially considering the eye-watering offer he has received from the Saudi side, but they will probably try to keep the player at Liverpool beyond this summer.
