Liverpool have rejected a formal offer of £100 million plus significant add-ons from Al-Ittihad for Mohamed Salah.
David Ornstein of The Athletic has confirmed that Liverpool have rejected a mega-money bid for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad. The SPL outfit made a £100 million-plus offer with significant add-ons after consultation with FSG President Mike Gordon. But the Reds do not want to sell their talismanic scorer.
Liverpool have found themselves in a tricky situation with the Mohamed Salah transfer situation. Having extended his contract last summer and making the talismanic scorer their highest-paid player ever, the Merseysiders are on edge with the latest transfer speculation surrounding the Egyptian.
Al-Ittihad’s interest is not new, as the Saudi club have been holding talks in the background about making a stellar bid. The offer may have arrived too late for Liverpool’s liking as the Reds rejected a mega-money proposal worth £100 million-plus with significant add-ons.
Since the season began, the English media have constantly quizzed Jurgen Klopp about this situation. And earlier today, the Liverpool boss said, “The position remains the same. Absolutely no doubt about that.” The German then added, “Nothing else to say. No offer as far as I know.”
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool reject verbal bid worth more than £100m + substantial add-ons from Saudi Pro League to sign Mohamed Salah for Al Ittihad. Proposal made on amicable call to Mike Gordon last night. #LFC view as case closed, #SPL do not @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/lHbEJ3yLGZ
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 1, 2023
David Ornstein reflected on those words in his tweet, said Liverpool consider this case ‘closed.’ However, The Athletic journalist later added that Al-Ittihad are not expecting the same and may continue to push on, potentially with an improved offer.
Al-Ittihad were planning on a £150 million bid for Salah, and they may have had conversations with the player’s camp in the background. Earlier today, CBS reporter James Benge, in his tweet, mentioned ‘money was not a problem’ for the Saudis as per a delegation member, which would point towards another bid for Salah.
Some other stories claimed Salah was ready to jet off to Jeddah to finalise a move if Liverpool agreed, which may show the player remains keen. However, as things stand, Liverpool have rejected a mega-money bid from the Saudis for their talismanic scorer and have so far insisted he’s not for sale.
Interestingly, the bid arrived after the Saudis had an amicable conversation with FSG president Mike Gordon. While Klopp insists there is nothing more to these links, some experts insist Al-Ittihad could now come in with another offer to entice Liverpool and are confident of getting the deal done.
For Liverpool, losing their talismanic scorer at this stage of the window and with a long season ahead is not ideal. For now, one would expect Al-Ittihad to come in with an improved offer, although all eyes will remain on Liverpool on whether they accept it or not.
