06 September 2023 , 09:52
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Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has been heavily linked with a big-money move to Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad.
The Egyptian forward is widely regard as the most popular footballer in the Middle East and would become the face of the Saudi Pro League were he to join. Liverpool are desperate to keep him at Anfield, particularly given they would not be able to sign a replacement until January, and have already rejected a £150m offer.
However, a world-record bid could prove particularly difficult to reject, given Salah is now 31 and his current contract is due to expire in 2025. Al-Ittihad have made one final attempt to try and sign Salah before the Saudi window closes on September 7.
According to The Sun, they have made a staggering £215m bid for Salah after flying into the UK for talks with Liverpool. The report states that the bid is made up of an initial £170m plus an additional £45m in add-ons, while Salah could earn as much as £2.45m a week.
It remains to be seen exactly where Salah's future lies, but Liverpool sent a pointed reminder of just how important he is to the club this morning when they shared a video montage on social media highlighting the fact that he has 10 goal involvements in his last 10 Premier League games.
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That record includes either a goal or an assist in each of Liverpool's four Premier League matches this season, with the Reds currently sat third in the table as one of six sides who remain unbeaten. And if they are to mount a title challenge, they simply cannot afford to sell Salah and be unable to replace him until January.
Both manager Jurgen Klopp and the players are convinced Salah will remain at Anfield, with Klopp saying after Liverpool's 3-0 win over Aston Villa: "I never had any doubt about his commitment to this club.
"You can't imagine how much fuss the world has made but how calm we are with it. He is our player and wants to play here. He didn't tell me [he wants to stay] but he didn't have to. He speaks with his training and performances and behaviour.
"We had meetings this week, and the meetings were not about what we did in the past, it was about what we will do in the future. Mo was with the players' [leadership] committee and had his moments where he was talking and it was nothing like 'by the way, this is only until next week' or whatever."
Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has said that Salah "wants to stay" at Liverpool, while defender Andrew Robertson has insisted there is "no concern" among the players about the forward's future.