After Al-Ittihad stated their willingness to pay a transfer price that would set a global record for the Egyptian player, Salah, 31, was extensively connected with a move to the Middle East. Liverpool resisted all attempts to sign the former AS Roma player, though, and did so.
Salah won’t be leaving Anfield until at least January since the Saudi Arabian transfer market closed on September 7, and Liverpool has resisted any pressure to offload its prized player.
However, Saudi Pro League executives still expect that a transfer will take place and now consider the trade is only ‘on-hold’ rather than being over despite their unsuccessful pursuit of Salah this summer window.
According to The Daily Mail, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal are willing to compete with Al-Ittihad for Salah’s signature.
This summer, Al-Ittihad was prepared to offer Salah a bid of €233 million (£200 million), which would have been more than the €222 million Paris Saint-Germain paid to acquire Neymar from Barcelona in 2017.
Although the Premier League window was closed and they would have been unable to sign a replacement, Liverpool was unwilling to approve a deal.
Throughout the transfer saga, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp insisted Salah was not for sale, and the German has been keen to emphasize the 31-year-old is content at Anfield.
