Mohamed Salah appears to have accepted his first offer from Saudi Arabia, which is a development that has long been predicted.
It is not surprising that Salah would be a desirable candidate given his status as one of the best football players in the world and one of the most well-known athletes in the Middle East.
State-backed clubs have already signed a number of well-known figures thanks to the revamp of the Saudi Pro League and its abundance of riches.
Along with Steven Gerrard, who manages Henderson at Al Ettifaq, those players include Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, and Jordan Henderson.
But securing Salah’s services would mark a turning point in a project widely viewed as a sportswashing attempt as Saudi Arabia seeks to improve its reputation.
Al-Ittihad, the organization that paid Fabinho £40 million to join them, has reportedly made contact with Liverpool’s No. 11.
Salah is reportedly being offered £155 million in wages over two seasons, according to an unnamed source “close to the player.”.
With the offer, Salah would join Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid players in the Saudi Pro League.
Given his position in Jurgen Klopp’s squad and the fact that he is the club’s highest-paid player, Liverpool would instead receive a ridiculously low bid of £60 million.
Despite the fact that the club accepted a £40 million offer for Fabinho, that amount was arguably higher than the Brazilian’s fair market value.
As the fifth-highest goalscorer in Liverpool history, a player who starts nearly every game, and a player who has scored 30 or more goals in each of the last three seasons, Salah would almost certainly command a fee over £100 million.
No matter what, it appears the 31-year-old is not interested in leaving his current job to relocate to Saudi Arabia.
Egyptian journalist Ismael Mahmoud has claimed on Twitter that Salah “wants to stay in Europe for one more year at least,” while Liverpool have “no intention” of selling.
Those on Merseyside and beyond will await a retort from the player’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, on social media before speculation can be put aside, of course.
But the hope is that, as with Luis Diaz earlier in the summer, the suggestion of interest from Saudi Arabia will amount to little when it comes to Salah.
Liverpool can ill afford to allow the forward to leave, particularly this close to the end of the summer transfer window.
