Al-Ittihad, a member of the Saudi Pro League, had previously made a £150 million offer to the Reds, but there is rising optimism in the Middle East that a higher offer might still be approved given that the Saudi transfer market doesn’t close until Thursday, 7 September.
According to the Mirror, a new offer closer to £200 million is anticipated, and while Klopp would prefer that it be turned down, he is worried that the sum would persuade the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, to make a profit.
The Egyptian would also find it impossible to refuse a hefty £1.5 million weekly salary and the chance to become a Middle East icon, according to Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol.
Salah is vulnerable to Al-Ittihad’s pursuit since Liverpool’s transfer policy has consistently favored younger players with resale potential, as we have seen throughout the term of Fenway Sports Group.
FSG believes that considering that the 31-year-old’s prime years are undoubtedly behind him, selling him for a record price would be a wise financial decision. Despite Klopp’s wish to keep both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, this policy was evident in their sales to Al-Ittihad and Al-Ettifaq, respectively.
Nevertheless, approving Salah’s trade now would prevent the Reds from signing a replacement until at least January, a notoriously difficult time of year to locate a suitable deal.
Even though Liverpool’s forward line is extremely strong, Salah is the only senior left-footed player who can play from the right side, so losing his goal production would be a major blow to any title bid in the Premier League.
Salah should stay for one more season and finalize any move to Saudi Arabia next summer, according to Klopp, who would like that. However, he probably won’t have any control over the choice.
