Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, has firmly dismissed recent reports linking Mohamed Salah with a move to Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the Egyptian forward’s “essential” role within the Liverpool squad.
Al-Ittihad, the Saudi Pro League club, has recently signed Fabinho from Liverpool for £40 million and expressed renewed interest in acquiring Salah, who still has two years remaining on his contract. The figures being speculated are staggering, with a proposed £60 million transfer fee for the 31-year-old, along with a potential £155 million in earnings over two years, which could place him among the highest-paid footballers globally.
Klopp has affirmed that no official contact has been made by any Saudi Pro League clubs to Liverpool. He stated that any formal offers surpassing £100 million for Salah, their prized asset, would be unequivocally rejected. Ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League match against Newcastle, Klopp remarked: “We don’t have an offer, Mo Salah is still a Liverpool player, obviously for all the things we do, he’s essential and will be. There’s nothing there. If there would be something, the answer would be no.”
Salah, who has impressively netted 187 goals in 308 appearances since joining Liverpool from Roma in 2017, is in the second year of his record-breaking three-year contract. Just weeks ago, his agent Ramy Abbas reiterated Salah’s strong commitment to Liverpool via Twitter, a sentiment echoed by Klopp: “One hundred percent.”
The Premier League has expressed concern over the influx of high-profile players departing for the Saudi Pro League, especially since Saudi Arabia’s transfer window closes after that of European clubs. The Premier League’s transfer deadline is set for September 1, while Saudi Arabia’s extends to September 20, causing disparities and potential disruptions.
Klopp called upon FIFA to align transfer windows to avoid such discrepancies, stating: “The authorities should make clear that if you want to be part of the system then you do your business at the same time. I am pretty sure Fifa could do it [clicks his fingers] like this if they want to.”