Al Ittihad, the defending champion in the Saudi Pro League, is prepared to spend £100 million to acquire Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah. The Saudi Pro League’s transfer window shuts on September
Salah has long been a target for the Saudi Pro League (SPL), according to sources in Saudi Arabia, but there has been no sign that Liverpool is willing to transfer the star.
Salah has not received any approaches from other teams, and Liverpool has made it clear that the 31-year-old is not for sale.
The manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, also emphasized that Salah is “one hundred percent” dedicated to the team on Friday while confirming that no offers have been made for the Egypt captain.
Before Sunday’s trip to Newcastle, which will be shown live on Sky Sports, Klopp declared, “He is essential for us.” “Nothing is present. The answer would be no if there were anything.
With a salary deal of about £1.5 million per week, Saudi champions Al Ittihad would be willing to make Salah one of the highest-paid players in the world.
Additionally, they would be willing to pay Liverpool a transfer fee exceeding £100 million.
To be honest, I don’t worry about that,” Klopp said when asked by Sky Sports if he was concerned that Salah would be distracted by the rumors. Mo is a very seasoned player who is fully committed to the team and to us here.
Although Salah’s representative, Ramy Abbas Issa, claimed earlier in August that the player was committed to Liverpool, the Saudi Pro League club made attempts to recruit Salah earlier in the window and continues to be interested.
Salah is the most well-known Arab athlete in the world, and his relocation to Saudi Arabia would increase the SPL’s profile even more as it strives to fast catch up to other top leagues across the globe.
Salah became the highest-paid player in Liverpool history last summer when he agreed to a new three-year, £350,000 per week contract.
Al Ittihad is one of four SPL teams owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
PIF said in October of last year that it had struck sponsorship deals worth £1.8 billion with Saudi clubs.
There is some level of central oversight over signings and the state effectively finances all SPL clubs.
The SPL must approve all transactions before they can be finalized, and Michael Emenalo, the league’s director of football, is crucial in helping clubs identify targets and sketch out their squads.
In December, Al Ittihad will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, a competition that also includes Manchester City.
On Sunday, Salah is anticipated to play for Liverpool against Newcastle United, a team that PIF owns in majority.
Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, and Roberto Firmino—all former teammates of Salah—have already emigrated to Saudi Arabia this summer.
Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Klopp said that he was unaware of the Saudi Pro League’s interest in Salah and expressed his irritation over the fact that the league’s transfer market will remain open for nearly another week following Transfer Deadline Day in England on next Friday.
I have no knowledge of interest, but from my perspective, there is nothing to say other than that there is speculation or anything.
“In this situation, I believe that is very normal. I fully comprehend what you’re saying. So much is happening all around us, but that’s pretty much it. I’m at a loss for words on it.
It’s always feasible that a large club will come in and want players off of you if you are another team, a normal club in the Premier League or in another league, and you are not Liverpool. That market has since grown.
We shall have to wait and see whether or not I am concerned. With Hendo and Fabinho, we have firsthand experience. However, as I mentioned previously, the longer the transfer window, the more problematic it becomes.
“It’s a genuine concern because, as long as you have the opportunity to respond, whatever occurs to each club and these kinds of things are pretty much just a little part of the business.
It’s a serious issue because, as long as you have the opportunity to respond, whatever occurs to each club and these kinds of things is essentially a little part of the business.
“It’s a crisis when we are no longer able to respond. That is the reality. Because it would be terrible if they could merely pick players, I urged the authorities to look into it already, I believe a few weeks ago. However, there is currently nothing or a good offer.
A disaster occurs when we are no longer able to respond. That is the reality. Because it would be terrible if they could merely pick players, I urged the authorities to look into it already, I believe a few weeks ago. However, there is currently nothing or a good offer.
We’ve known for a long that they want to acquire Salah and that Liverpool does not intend to sell him.
His own representative declared on social media that Salah was committed to Liverpool when these rumours of their interest first surfaced a month ago. He wouldn’t have signed a ne if that weren’t the situation.
He is now the best-paid player at Liverpool thanks to that contract, which still has two years left on it. Liverpool is also very clear that they do not want to sell him.
But as we have observed over the summer, these Saudi Pro League clubs are not deterred by rejection. They have a list of players they want to sign, and they will do whatever it takes to do so.
They won’t give up, and the Saudi window will remain open for a few days after this one shuts. Although it has a seriously destabilizing impact for Liverpool, everyone in the European game has had to adjust to it. The Saudi Pro League is here to stay, and they have the resources to try—and occasionally succeed—in acquiring the top players in the world.
“I believe that Mo Salah is just not for sale. He earns the most money for Liverpool. Losing him at such a crucial time is the last thing Jurgen Klopp wants to happen. Recently, Klopp expressed his dissatisfaction with how the SPL window was open following the end of the Premier League season. He was concerned that after the transfer market closed here, Saudi clubs could enter and take players away from Premier League clubs, leaving them unable to replace them.
Klopp’s worst fears will come true if Al Ittihad does try to buy Salah after the window ends on Friday.
“This is the transfer market; Premier League clubs and Saudi clubs each have different windows. Al Ittihad are acting legally. A player is being sought after by them.
Every player has a price, right? Will the price rise to the point where Liverpool is tempted to make a profit? So yet, the club has given no evidence that this is the case.
This summer, it has often been demonstrated that Saudi teams pick targets and spend money on them. We’re talking about enormous quantities of money, and we’ve been told that some of these players who are hesitant to go are being promised 50% of their income over the course of their contract up front and tax-free in an effort to get them to sign.
Who will move during the transfer window’s final days before it ends on September 1 at midnight in Scotland and 11pm in England?
