Saudi Pro League Al-Ittihad dump £200million Salah pursuit
The Saudi Pro League Al-Ittihad have ruled out further pursuit of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah during the January window, less than six months after missing out on the Egypt international, the league’s director Michael Emenalo has confirmed.
Salah was one of the nascent league’s major targets of the window amid speculation that the Egypt international was prepared to leave Anfield after six years on Merseyside.
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Al-Ittihad had tendered a staggering £200million bid for the 31-year-old but Liverpool were determined to cling on to their player, and formally rejected the bid just ahead of the summer window closing.
At the time, Jurgen Klopp said he was never in doubt that Salah would stay, adding: ‘he is our player and wants to play here.’
Despite this, reports suggest that the timing of the bid had ruled out the move from Liverpool’s side, and that if the Saudi offer had arrived sooner, it might have been considered by both player and club.
But in an interview with Sky Sports, the league’s director of football Michael Emenalo ruled out a second attempt on the heels of the first abortive effort in the upcoming window.
‘Mo Salah, like (Lionel) Messi, (Karim) Benzema, (Cristiano) Ronaldo and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, these are players that when there is a sense of availability for them, we are willing to listen,’ said Emenalo, who previously served as Chelsea’s director of football.
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‘But we also understand that Mo is happy where he is at present and in a historic, wonderful club at Liverpool. We respect that very much and we don’t want to come across as putting any pressure on him.
‘But if there is any interest to do something, Mo Salah is a player that you want in your league, in any league.
‘We respect Liverpool and in this scenario, the initiative to do anything won’t come from us. There has to be an aligned interest from all parties involved.