Saudi Arabia’s billion-dollar transfer market assault on football’s traditional order has gone to another level, with Al Ittihad making a bombshell play for Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah.
Al Ittihad, one of four clubs owned by the nation’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), have already signed Liverpool’s Fabinho for £40m this off-season, as well as French stars Karim Benzema (the reigning Ballon d’Or winner for the world’s best player) and N’Golo Kante.
But 31-year-old Egyptian Salah has been labelled their top target, though a move was rejected by Liverpool and Salah earlier in the transfer window.
Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. Join now and start streaming instantly >
Source: Getty Images
MORE COVERAGE
City’s $109m title statement as 21yo sensation joins; star makes $45m Saudi switch: Done Deals
Ange’s Spurs linked to shock move for Chelsea flop: Five big PL moves that could still happen
‘He’s so good’: Star lifts lid on stunning dressing room reaction to Angeball
‘Never go unpunished’: WC champ blasts Spain chief over ugly kiss as government steps in
Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas, took to social media earlier this month to write: “If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC.”
Salah is the highest-paid player in Liverpool history on a reported deal worth around £350,000 per week, and has two seasons remaining on the deal (including this year).
But the prospect of an astronomical pay rise appears to have tempted the player.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said today that earlier this month Salah had “no intention to enter into any negotiations”, but Al Ittihad this week drastically improved their offer.
He added: “To raise their bid to the player… the financial package proposed from Al Ittihad to Mo Salah is now way bigger, almost double the offer from the beginning of August.”
“From what I’m hearing, there’s been direct contact from Salah’s side to Liverpool to discuss that,” he continued, but declared that the club’s response was firm – that Salah would not be allowed to depart.
The Athletic reported on Thursday that Liverpool have told Al-Ittihad that Salah is “not for sale”, with Sky Sports also stating the Reds would not sell regardless of how much they were offered.
According to multiple reports, the improved salary offer is around £65m or $A127.6m per year over three seasons, not including bonuses or endorsements that could take his earnings above even Cristiano Ronaldo. Other reports have claimed the figure is even higher.
A major complicating factor for Liverpool and other English clubs is that their transfer window closes on the 1st of September, while the Saudi Pro League’s transfer window remains open until the 20th – meaning Premier League sides could lose players and have no chance to replace them.
At the start of this month, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp complained about that fact.
“The influence of Saudi Arabia is massive at the moment,” Klopp said.
“Pretty much the worst thing is that the transfer window in Saudi Arabia is open three weeks longer. If I am right, I heard something like that, then at least in Europe that’s not helpful.
“Uefa or Fifa must find solutions for that. It’s already influential for us but we will have to learn to deal with it.”