Saudi Pro League remains intent on signing Mohamed Salah from Liverpool for Al Ittihad for up to £150m; Jurgen Klopp would have only until 11pm on Friday to sign a replacement before transfer window shuts until January; Liverpool are unwilling to sell their talisman
Friday 1 September 2023 17:10, UK
The Saudi Pro League remain intent on signing Liverpool's Mohamed Salah for Al Ittihad.
The Liverpool forward is still on a list of players the country wants to sign and he has been on that list all summer.
While the Premier League's transfer window closes at 11pm on Friday, Saudi Pro League clubs can make signings for almost another week with their transfer window closing on September 7.
They are willing to pay Salah £1.5m per week and Liverpool a transfer fee of more than £100m.
Liverpool are still adamant the Egyptian is not for sale, have no intention of selling him, and there has been no offer.
One source has told Sky Sports News the Saudis are working on a deal that could be worth £150m including add-ons.
They are hoping to test Salah's commitment to Liverpool, despite his agent Ramy Abbas ruling out a move earlier this month, with a lucrative salary that could make him Saudi Arabia's top earner, ousting Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
Al-Ittihad and the Saudi league are aware Liverpool will refuse to budge on their stance that the Egyptian is not for sale.
And the figures being mentioned - in the region of between £130m-£150m inclusive of add-ons - will not soften that position.
They are therefore hoping that they can successfully tempt Salah to push for the move.
The 31-year-old has been nothing but professional through the noise over this situation thus far.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side are intent on signing the Liverpool forward, who has scored once in three games for the club this season.
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"The Saudi Pro League believe Mo Salah is the most famous Arab footballer in the world and it would be a massive coup for them to have him playing there.
"He has been on a list of names the Saudi Pro League have compiled of players they want to sign this summer. There've been other big names on it like Karim Benzema, Neymar, who they have been able to get - but so far they haven't managed that with Salah.
"They want to sign him, his name is on that list, and if they can get him they would like him to play for Al Ittihad, the champions. There's still a possibility, before the Saudi window closes on September 7, they may make a move for him.
"This won't be a conventional transfer we're used to. Their transfers are different, it's not a case of discussions between clubs and talks, them contacting Liverpool. This is a centrally controlled operation, by the Saudi Pro League, the Ministry of Sport, the Sovereign Wealth Fund - and of course Al Ittihad.
"Salah has never come out and said he wants to move. The only public statement we've had was from his agent, which said that Mo had signed a new contract at Liverpool last summer, and he wouldn't have done that if he wanted to leave.
"But, can I see him playing in Saudi Arabia? Yes I can, one day. I'm not saying it's going to be in this window, January or next year, but the Saudis are very serious about signing Mo Salah and have almost unlimited funds.
"He'd be one of the best-paid players in the world, earning at least £1.5m a week, and they'd be prepared to spend more than £100m to sign him, which is a lot of money for someone who's already 31.
"Put that into perspective, they spent about £80-90m for Neymar, who's also the same age."
Speaking after Liverpool's win over Newcastle on Sunday, former vice-captain and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said an offer of £150m could be enough to tempt his old club to do business
"I don't think Mo Salah will go. One, because it's so late in the window. And I don't necessarily think Mo Salah will want to go," Carragher said.
"It would have to be over £150m, you're not replacing Salah for £100m. If it was earlier, maybe. But it's so late in the window.
"I think Salah will be a little bit like Cristiano Ronaldo, I can see him playing until his late 30s. He will think he has another three or four years [at the highest level].
"He has two years left on his Liverpool contract, I don't know if he will stay beyond that. But I think he will want to score as many goals as he can, win the biggest honours and break records and then go to an MLS team, Saudi Arabian team maybe somewhere else in his late 30s. I think he looks after himself so well, he's such a professional, that he has many more years in Salah right now.
"If you think of the model of FSG and the reason why Liverpool have so much success, when someone paid over the odds for Philippe Coutinho, they didn't replace him. They bought Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker and Liverpool went on to win the lot.
Who will be on the move in the final days of the transfer window before it closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
