Salah tells ‘close friends’ he is ‘tempted’ by Saudi move as Liverpool brace for £200m offer
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has told his close friends that he is tempted by a move to Saudi Arabia according to the latest reports.
The transfer window has now closed for Premier League clubs, but teams from Saudi Arabia can continue to sign players for the time being.
Liverpool have already rejected an offer worth around £175m on deadline day from Al-Ittihad as the Reds have no intention of selling their star player for the time being.
However, the rumour of an improved £200m bid has already been floated and that sort of money could be too good to turn down from Liverpool’s perspective.
Al-Ittihad have already signed the likes of N’Golo Kante, Fabinho and Karim Benzema this summer, but a move for Salah would be their most ambitious deal yet.
The final decision on the 31-year-olds future could rest with Salah himself. He is contracted with Liverpool until 2025, although he could force Liverpool’s hand by pushing for the move.
According to The Mirror, Salah has already told his ‘close friends’ that he is ‘tempted’ by a move to Saudi Arabia which would see him become one of the highest-paid players of all time.
The report suggests that he could earn a weekly wage of £1.5m playing for Al-Ittihad and he would get the chance to become the poster boy of football in the Middle East.
Salah has started the season well for Liverpool, with a goal and two assists in his first three matches. If Liverpool were to lose him now, it would be a devastating blow.
Liverpool legend Graeme Souness recently gave this take on the Salah situation and claimed the Liverpool forward has been ‘flirting’ with the Saudis.
“Make no mistake, Salah is flirting with the Saudis,” Souness told the Daily Mail.
“Neither he nor one of his representatives has come out and categorically said, ‘We do not want to go to Saudi Arabia at this time’. If he wanted to stay, someone could have issued a statement to that effect.
“He is toying with the idea, at the very least, and I think, deep down, he will feel he should go.
“The vast majority of Liverpool fans would be understandably aggrieved by that, though this is a sign of what lies ahead for the Premier League.
“The Saudis have infiltrated every level of British society in the last 50 years, so why not football?”
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