According to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad wants to make an improved offer to sign Mohamed Salah, despite Liverpool being unprepared to negotiate.
The Reds were active in the summer transfer window right up to Deadline Day last Friday, with former Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch making the move to Anfield on September 1st to complete the club’s much-needed midfield rebuild.
Whilst Liverpool may not have been able to snap up the services of every player they were interested in, the results and improved performances on the pitch since the Premier League campaign began have shown promising signs for the season ahead.
The acquirement of new additions has been refreshing, however, the number of outgoings the club has sanctioned became a worrying prospect for the Anfield faithful, with both captain Jordan Henderson and defensive midfielder Fabinho amongst a number of experienced players who have moved over the last few months.
Whilst Jurgen Klopp has approved the exit of some of his important players, it is clear the German coach has absolutely no intention of parting ways with his superstar winger Salah, with a £150m bid rejected in the final hours before the British transfer window slammed shut.
However, Jacobs took to Twitter this afternoon to reveal that Al-Ittihad are preparing another huge offer to lure the Egyptian superstar away from the Premier League:
“Liverpool still insist Mo Salah is not for sale. Al-Ittihad still want to make a second improved offer within 48 hours. Understand this could be a package of £175m with over £120m guaranteed. Dealmakers even prepared to go to £200m inclusive of less gettable CWC add-ons.”
Our thoughts on Mo Salah’s future…
There is no doubt that a cash injection of £175m would be incredibly advantageous and tempting for the Merseyside giants, however, the loss of Salah in the meantime could be much more costly for the Reds.
Liverpool suffered a real struggle to compete on all fronts last season and after finishing fifth in the top-flight table, missed out on playing Champions League football for the first time in over half a decade.
This drop off in quality and competitiveness on the pitch was the driving force behind Liverpool’s ambitious recruitment campaign over the summer, as it will be the intentions of not only Klopp but the club’s hierarchy to achieve success and qualification on the most elite European stage.
As a result, it would make absolutely no sense for Liverpool to even consider accepting an offer for Salah at this stage, not only because of his undeniable influence in the team, but because there is absolutely no chance the club can replace him until January, which could, in turn, have an adverse negative effect on results.
The 31-year-old winger – who has two years remaining on his current contract – is one of the most prolific and successful forwards the club has ever seen, scoring 188 goals and registering 81 assists over 309 appearances, with a goal contribution every 94 minutes so far – a testament to his outstanding career at Anfield.
In fact, the Egypt international surpassed legendary former club captain Steven Gerrard’s 186 goal-scoring record recently and is now the fifth highest scoring Liverpool player of all time behind Billy Liddell, Gordon Hodgson, Roger Hunt and Ian Rush.
With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Liverpool to reject any further offers for Salah and to re-evaluate the situation either in January or when the season ends.
