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Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad reportedly prepare to table a world-record £200m bid for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, having fallen short with a £150m bid.
Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad are allegedly planning to test Liverpool‘s resolve with a world-record £200m bid for Mohamed Salah.
Despite repeated affirmations from his agent and Jurgen Klopp that he has no plans to leave Liverpool, Salah remains a priority target for the Saudi Pro League.
Liverpool are believed to have been offered a mammoth £150m deal to let Salah leave the club in the last knockings of the English transfer window, which closes at 11pm on Friday.
However, the Reds immediately turned down Al-Ittihad’s approach, as the Merseyside giants remain unwavering in their stance that Salah will not be sold under any circumstances.
Before news of Al-Ittihad’s nine-figure bid came in, Klopp once again reassured Liverpool fans that there were no official talks over Salah’s exit, but Nuno Espirito Santo‘s men are not throwing in the towel just yet.
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According to the Daily Mail – via the Evening Standard – the Saudi Pro League champions are willing to go as high as £200m, which would make Salah the most expensive footballer in history.
The 31-year-old’s proposed move to the Middle East would eclipse Neymar‘s £190m switch from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, and clubs in Saudi Arabia have until next Thursday to conclude their summer business.
However, Liverpool’s stance is expected to remain the same no matter how much money is placed on the table, and Salah still has two years left to run on his Liverpool contract, which he extended last year.
As well as a possible switch to Saudi Arabia, Salah is also thought to have been on the radar of French champions Paris Saint-Germain, but his representative Ramy Abbas Issa denied that talks ever took place with Les Parisiens.
The former Chelsea and Roma man remains one of the first names on the teamsheet for Liverpool, and he has made a positive start to the new season with one goal and two assists from three Premier League matches.
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Much was made of Salah’s furious reaction to being substituted on the opening day of the season against Chelsea, which added fuel to the fire surrounding a sensational late exit from Anfield.
However, the Egyptian has retained his place in the starting lineup for subsequent wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle United and will be expected to start against Aston Villa on Sunday barring any late developments.
Salah now has a total of 187 goals and 81 assists to show from 308 appearances in a Liverpool shirt over the past six years, and he sits fifth in the Reds’ all-time scoring charts.
In terms of deadline-day incomings, Liverpool are expected to conclude a £34.2m deal to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who would become their fourth new arrival of the summer.
There were concerns that Joao Palhinha‘s collapsed switch to the Allianz Arena could have had implications on Gravenberch’s move, but he is set to be announced as a new Liverpool player later on tonight.
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