Though it was never really in doubt, Mohamed Salah will stay at Liverpool this season after approaches from Al-Ittihad were strongly rebuffed.
As the leading source of goals over the past five seasons since his move from AS Roma, Salah is arguably the most important player in Jurgen Klopp‘s squad.
It was no surprise, then, that Liverpool took such a firm stance even despite a £150 million bid from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad for a player who turned 31 in June.
However, with the Saudi transfer window not due to close until 10pm on Thursday, the likes of Sky Sports continued to circulate claims of a new offer.
The prospect of Salah leaving Anfield before the deadline has now been denied, though, with The Athletic‘s David Ornstein reporting that he is due to stay.
Ornstein explains that, as with claims of a move to the Middle East for Jadon Sancho, “a transfer won’t be happening.”
There remains serious interest in bringing Salah to the Saudi Pro League eventually, though, with clubs owned by the royal family’s Public Investment Fund likely to return in the future.
“Although he won’t be moving anywhere tonight, well-documented interest in Salah remains for a potential future move and there are good relations between all parties,” Ornstein adds.
While it had been suggested that Al-Ittihad could offer upwards of £200 million for the No. 11 – which would resemble a world-record fee – it made more sense for Liverpool to retain their fifth-highest goalscorer of all time.
That is particularly the case following the closure of the Premier League‘s transfer window last week, but the inability to sign a replacement was not their reason for turning down offers.
Al-Ittihad’s initial bid, worth an initial £100 million with a further £50 million in add-ons, was rejected prior to deadline day in England.
