Liverpool quickly rejected the first offer from Al Ittihad for Mohamed Salah, with a total value of up to 150 million pounds including additional clauses.
The offer from the Saudi Arabian team came via a phone call on Thursday night to Mike Gordon, chairman of Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, and was immediately rejected.
Gordon reaffirmed Liverpool’s stance that Salah is not for sale although Al Ittihad are expected to continue their pursuit of the Egypt international until the transfer window in Saudi Arabia closes at the end of this month.
Salah, 31, still has two years left on the £350,000-a-week contract he signed with Liverpool last year. His agent, Ramy Abbas, once stated that the contract would not be signed if Salah intended to leave and his client was absolutely committed to Anfield.
Speaking on Friday morning, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claimed he was not aware of any offers for his star striker but admitted the threat from the Saudi Pro League to the European transfer market must be seriously considered.
Klopp, who lost Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to lucrative offers from the Middle East this summer, said: “I don’t know how long things will last like this, but the next two weeks will show the big test to come. because if something happens, it will be impossible to cope anymore. That’s something UEFA or FIFA should keep an eye on because we all have to protect the sport.”
“We are still a bit surprised by Saudi Arabia’s activity. I don’t know where it will lead, but it feels like a threat or a concern. We cannot deny that fact. The difference in the contracts they offer is so large that it will 100% cause conflict.”