Departing Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah is being tipped to recoup as much as €60-80million from his next move, with one journalist claiming a switch to the Saudi Pro League is looking more and more likely.
The Egyptian is leaving Anfield a year ahead of his contract expiring after a hugely disappointing 2025/26 campaign by his own high standards, while a well-publicised falling out with Arne Slot also sped up his exit.
With Slot no longer in situ and former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola now in charge at Liverpool, there was some talk of a potential U-turn from Salah, although that was very quickly slapped down.
The club president of Turkish giants Fenerbahce recently claimed that his side “will sign” Salah, even revealing the total cost of a deal.
However, TEAMtalk sources revealed back in May that the Saudi Pro League are stepping up their long-standing pursuit of the Egypt international.
And now a fresh report from Brazilian journalist Bruno Andrade, who has built a strong reputation for his contacts across both the European and Saudi transfer markets, claims that Al Hilal have made Salah their dream target.
The report states that the Saudi side are looking to sign a new forward once the World Cup concludes and that Salah is now their main priority.
His free-agent status is said to make the ‘operation simpler’ because there would be no club-to-club negotiations involved.
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Al Hilal to lure Salah with mega deal
The Saudi side have set aside €60m (£51.2m) for the player’s salary across a three-year contract. That would be paid as €20m (£17.1m) per season.
There is also the possibility of a fourth year. That would add another €20m (£17.1m), taking the full package to €80m (£68.3m).
Andrade adds that Salah is Al Hilal’s ‘maximum dream’ for their attack, although Raphinha and other names are still floating in the background but less likely at this stage.
That’s a complete change from Al Hilal’s plan two summers ago, when Brazilian Raphinha was their number one target as a proposal bigger than the one they are now preparing to offer for Salah.
The money now available comes from the prince, after he bought Al Hilal from the Saudi sovereign fund earlier this year, and Andrade adds that “something tells me it will end up being Mohamed Salah”, when it comes to a marquee signing.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s pursuit of their top target to replace Salah continues at pace, although they’ve been warned over just how much they will need to pay to secure the signature of Yan Diomande.