Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad has offered Mohamed Salah a three-year contract at a stunning £65 million ($82m) per year.
The Egyptian national team player’s commitment has been put to the test by Al-Ittihad, who have offered him £65 million before bonuses. Salah has reportedly been promised he may earn more in Saudi Arabia than Cristiano Ronaldo when bonuses and sponsorships are factored in, and given that income in the nation is untaxed, this amounts to a weekly wage of £1.25 million.
Despite Liverpool’s insistence, The Independent reports that they have no plans to trade Mohamed Salah this summer; whether or not the player will try to force a transfer despite the massive financial implications remаins to be seen.
Salah’s continued importance to Liverpool is evidenced by the fact that he started all 38 Premier League games he appeared in and contributed to 19 goals and 12 assists. In just two games this season, he has already scored once and provided an assist.Salah is expected to feature for Liverpool this season against Newcastle in the Premier League.
Fabinho has just proved Liverpool have no choice over Mohamed Salah
After his incredible Premier League comeback in August, neither Liverpool nor Mohamed Salah probably expected this to be the way his nаme would be in the news just before a long weekend.
It has been alleged that Public Investment Fund-backed Al-Ittihad is planning a spectacular raid for the 31-year-old Egyptian forward before next week’s transfer deadline.
On Thursday afternoon, reports surfaced that the Saudi champions were increasing their pursuit of Salah. The ECHO has learned, however, that Liverpool has no interest in releasing the star Egyptian, who has two more years remaining on his contract at Anfield.
Salah, even at the age of 31, still has a lot to offer Liverpool. The 187th goal he scored for the club put him ahead of Reds great Steven Gerrard in the club’s all-time scoring lists, but it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon, during the 3-1 win over Bournemouth, that he passed Gerrard.Salah still has more chapters to write in his Liverpool saga before possibly following in the footsteps of fellow Anfield royalty, while Gerrard may have controversially traded the beaches of Formby for the sand dunes of Dammam earlier this summer after cashing in on an eye-watering offer from Al Ettifaq.
The Egyptian player added, “I’m totally devastated,” back in May, after it was officially announced that Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League. No reasonable explanation could ever justify this. We blew a golden opportunity to qualify for the Champions League the following season.
For a team like Liverpool, just making the tournament is an accomplishment. I wish I could write something positive and encouraging, but it’s just too soon. We failed you and we failed ourselves.
A response of such defiance doesn’t sound like someone who is ready to leave Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool to play in the Saudi Pro League.
But from Liverpool’s perspective, it would have been naive not to sound out a valuation for a player who currently commands a salary in the region of £350,000 per week, turns 32 next summer, and is close to approaching the halfway point of what could be his final Anfield contract.
The Reds’ quest for a holding midfielder took a decidedly unconventional turn after the exits of the aforementioned two players, but it proved that the grass isn’t always greener. Sometimes it’s preferable to stay put rather than try to twist things in order to get a bigger transfer purse.
The fact was proved earlier this month when Liverpool offered almost £110 million for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, who ultimately chose to go with Chelsea instead. Considering the Ecuadorian’s desire to transfer to King’s Road, Anfield’s decision to not immediately make a swoop for him was not unexpecteԀ.
However, the days that followed showed how difficult it can be to replace a player of Saudi Arabia’s caliber in a team’s roster, as Liverpool abandoned its buy-to-grow strategy in favor of acquiring VfB Stuttgart captain Wataru Endo at the last minute.
However, the fact that Endo has no European experience at the age of 30 indicates that he is used to operating at a significantly lower level than Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League winning Fabinho, who enjoyed a three-year spell as the best in class across Europe, and despite the fact that the Liverpool manager had been delighted with his capture of the midfielder, and revealed he was quickly inundated with celebratory messages from his homeland.
Moreover, hindsight being what it is, it is reasonable to conclude that Liverpool has taken a step backwards in this regard over the summer.
Liverpool would be foolish to think they could find someone of Salah’s level with less than seven days left in the transfer window after being hampered by last month’s Saudi riches.
Even more worrisome is the fact that Anfield’s remarkable transformation into Europe’s envy during Michael Edwards’ six years as sporting director has left Anfield’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, scrambling to find a permanent replacement for the Egyptian. Clearly, Liverpool shouldn’t be making any major adjustments at the moment.
Salah’s goals have been the only constant in a time of great upheaval at Anfield. This summer is too important for Liverpool for that to alter.