Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad are reportedly poised to make a £200m offer for Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah within the next 48 hours.
Following weeks of speculation, the Reds received a £150m bid from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side for the 31-year-old on deadline day, which they immediately rejected.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has cut a relaxed figure throughout the protracted transfer saga, and the English window shut at 11pm on Friday with Salah still on the books.
Only a couple of days after Al-Ittihad’s failed approach, Salah started for the Reds in their Premier League clash with Aston Villa, scoring his side’s third goal in a 3-0 triumph.
After the full-time whistle had blown, Klopp once again allayed fears of a possible exit for Salah, while Dominik Szoboszlai also claimed that his teammate told him that he wants to stay at Anfield.
The Egyptian’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa has frequently taken to social media to shoot down rumours of a move away too, but Al-Ittihad – who can still sign players until Thursday – remain undeterred.
The Saudi Arabian giants have been tipped to make a world-record £200m approach in the wake of their failed opening approach, and according to the Daily Mail, such a bid is now forthcoming.
A delegation from Al-Ittihad supposedly touched down in England over the weekend as they make one final push to sign Salah, who could also become the highest-paid player in the world with a £1.5m-a-week deal in the Middle East.
Liverpool are reportedly expecting the Saudi Arabian giants to make their move before Wednesday evening, but Klopp is still insisting that Salah is not for sale under any circumstances this summer.
However, the former Chelsea attacker is only contracted to the Reds until 2025 – having penned an extension last summer – and there are fears that Fenway Sports Group may entertain a world-record bid for a 31-year-old in the final two seasons of his contract.
Nevertheless, Klopp is still hopeful that the owners will rebuff Al-Ittihad’s imminent £200m bid for Salah, which would surpass the £190m that Paris Saint-Germain paid for Neymar in 2017
A separate report states that Klopp believes that a switch to the Saudi Pro League for Salah is inevitable in the coming years, though, and he fears that the Egypt international will bid farewell in 2024.
Liverpool and Al-Ittihad struck an agreement for the £40m transfer of Fabinho earlier this summer, as the Brazilian joined Jota, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante at the club for the 2023-24 season.
In addition, former captain Jordan Henderson controversially ended his 12-year stint at Anfield to reunite with Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, but the Reds held onto Alisson Becker and Thiago Alcantara despite links with Saudi clubs.
Salah’s strike against Aston Villa was his 188th from 309 appearances in a Liverpool shirt, while he has also provided 81 assists since arriving in 2017.
