Alan Shearer feels Liverpool will ‘bite’ at a big offer for Mohamed Salah in January, with Al-Ittihad likely to return with another approach.
The transfer window only ended a while ago. But there are still after-thoughts on some of the deals that did not happen. Chief among those is Mohamed Salah, as Al-Ittihad stepped up their interest very late in the summer window.
Liverpool rejected their mammoth £150 million offer on deadline day, and they may have been right to do so for the timing of the bid. Losing the £34 million star so late would have proved difficult for the Reds in the context of their season, and they needed more time to replace him.
The money on offer would have been noteworthy for the Reds as they could have used those funds to rebuild their squad. Salah, for his part, never publicly said he wanted to leave despite rumours of him doing so in the background.
Al-Ittihad are expected to return for the attacker in January, and Liverpool may well have a decision on their hands with Salah, who has been a resounding success since his £34 million move several years ago. The Saudi club could also make a bigger offer than the one the Reds rejected on deadline day, as many believe they could accept this time around.
One of those is Alan Shearer, who thinks Liverpool will ‘bite’ at another shot to sell Salah for a humongous price point. He told The Rest is Football podcast that Liverpool will accept an offer worth £150 million or more in January.
Shearer said, “If you’re getting north of £150m for someone of that age. I get why it didn’t happen because they came in so late and wouldn’t have had time to get a replacement. But, if they know they’re coming back in January with a ridiculous offer then they’ve got time to find a replacement and again it depends on where they are I think. But I think they’d bite at £150m in January.”
Some reports suggested Liverpool are already planning for life without their £34 million talisman. On logical terms, they should accept a large bid from the Saudis, as the premier League Legend Shearer opined, which could let them build on their squad after the Eryptian’s departure.
Moreover, unlike the summer, Liverpool will have ample time in the January window to find a suitable replacement. Beyond that, they will have money left to fund a new defender and potentially a holding midfielder if they play their cards right.
Salah could become a Philippe Coutinho-style sale, which helped them fund moves for transformative players like Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk to kickstart a new era at Anfield.
