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Sky Sports have provided their latest update on Mohamed Salah ahead of his Liverpool exit.
The Egyptian has long been viewed as the marquee name the Saudi Pro League want to build around, having already tempted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema to the Gulf in recent seasons.
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Back in 2023, Liverpool famously turned down a bid worth up to £150 million from Al-Ittihad for Salah, insisting publicly that their talisman was not for sale. At the time, the Reds still had the security of a long-term deal and were under no pressure to cash in. This summer is different, with the Egyptian ready to depart on a free transfer.
Now Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol has revealed that the Saudi Pro League views Mohamed Salah as their priority target this summer, and that a new funding model could help their chances on a deal:
“What’s happening in Saudi Arabia is that the funds are in place for a big Saudi club to sign Mohamed Salah this summer,” the reporter said.
“He is the priority target for the Saudi Pro League. We know three years ago that Al-Ittihad tried to sign him for £150 million. Why would a Saudi club not try and sign him now on a free transfer?”
“Interestingly, the Saudi Pro League have announced a new funding model – player acquisition model – which is going to see the money available to sign players shared more equally between the clubs.”
He added that there is still a commitment from the Saudi government to grow the football league in the country:
“The money is in place, when it comes to big football players like Mo Salah, the money is still there.”
“I think the Saudi government are still committed to growing football in the Kingdom.”
It definitely feels like deja vu for Liverpool fans, but this time the key difference is that Liverpool does not have a say.