Liverpool have over 200 million reasons to consider selling Mo Salah, but the situation is obviously not as cut and dry as that.
The Egyptian is already a club legend at Anfield, having won every trophy possible and breaking numerous records since joining from Roma in 2017, and is still very much the team’s best player.
It’s not easy to let go of a world-class player because they are so hard, if not impossible, to replace – especially when the transfer window in the UK has closed.
But the club will surely have their head turned by the latest reports surrounding a potential new bid from the Saudi Pro League.
Liverpool rejected one bid from Al-Ittihad, believed to be worth £150 million with £100m of that being paid upfront, last Thursday. The Tigers were reportedly considering an improved offer, but deadline day came and went with no news on that front.
Jurgen Klopp considered that the end of the matter and said after Sunday’s win over Aston Villa that he “never had any doubt about his commitment” to the club. “He is our player and wants to play here.”
That was before Sky Sports reported on Tuesday that Al-Ittihad are ‘want to make another offer’ for Salah, believed to be worth up to £215m, before the Saudi transfer window closes on September 7.
Such a deal would be the single biggest transfer in football history, eclipsing the £198m Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar in 2018.
That transfer is particularly relevant here, as the knock-on effect benefitted Liverpool immensely. Barcelona overpaid for Philippe Coutinho to replace Neymar, which financed moves for Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker and kickstarted an era of success under Klopp.
Liverpool will feel they could do the same again with the money they would receive for Salah, who, at 31 years of age, only has so much left in the tank. Of course, the major caveat here is that they would have to wait until January to do so.
There’s a temptation to suggest that if Al-Ittihad are willing to pay so much now, they will still be willing to pay a similar fee in the winter. But that’s a big gamble to take.
The reporting suggests that if they don’t push for Salah now, then they will return next for the forward next summer. It’s possible that they are keen to bring him in ahead of the Fifa Club World Cup, in which the Jeddah outfit are competing as hosts.
It’s also worth noting that, by next summer, Salah will only have one year left on his contract, reducing Liverpool’s bargaining power. Still, they would be able to command a pretty hefty fee for their star man and they would get another year out of him, which will be crucial for their chances of success this year.
Ultimately, it could come down to Salah himself and what he wants.
