Mo Salah revealed he was in talks with Saudi club before his Liverpool extension
The Egyptian also denied any rumours of joining Barcelona or Real Madrid
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By YASEEN ZAMAN
Published: 18:40 EDT, 25 May 2025 | Updated: 18:44 EDT, 25 May 2025
Mohamed Salah has confirmed that he was indeed close to playing in Saudi Arabia during his contract fiasco with Liverpool earlier this season.
The winger finally signed a new two-year deal at the Anfield club in April, putting an end to a saga that began at the start of the campaign.
Salah has attracted mass interest from Saudi Arabia in the last two years. That saw Al Ittihad make a £150million bid in August 2023, which was swiftly rejected by Liverpool.
The Saudis retained an interest in Salah during the January transfer window, and explored whether they could convince him to join them this summer, when his Liverpool contract was set to expire.
The 32-year-old has long been the ‘dream target’ of the Saudi Pro League.
And in a bombshell interview released on Sunday, Salah revealed that there were 'serious negotiations' around him playing in Saudi Arabia, and let on that he previously thought he would play in the Gulf nation had he not extended on Merseyside.
Mohamed Salah revealed he was close to playing in Saudi Arabia before extending at Liverpool
The forward put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with the Merseyside club last month
Salah also said that there was 'nothing' by way of negotiations with Barcelona or Real Madrid
Salah told On Sport: 'I thought there was a good opportunity to join the Saudi League. I believed I might go there if I didn't renew my contract with Liverpool.
'My relationship with people there [in Saudi Arabia] is still good and ongoing. There were serious negotiations to sign me.'
Salah then went on to deny previous links with Barcelona and Real Madrid during his contract saga, stating: 'There was nothing.'
The Egyptian admitted that his strong connection with Liverpool fans heavily swayed his decision to remain at the club.
Salah added: 'Liverpool fans were part of the contract renewal process - they put pressure on the management because I’ve been at the club for seven years.
'From day one, I knew they wanted me to stay.'
Salah scored 34 goals and provided 23 assists across all competitions this season, including 29 goals in the Premier League.
His performances helped Arne Slot lead the Reds to their 20th English top-flight title in his debut season, levelling rivals Manchester United for the most ever.