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The offer – an initial £100m plus £50m in add-ons – was made in a phone call on Thursday night to Mike Gordon, president of Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, and followed a week of intense speculation over Al-Ittihad’s pursuit of the 31-year-old.
Gordon immediately dismissed the approach and Liverpool consider the matter closed. The Saudi Pro League side, however, one of four backed by the country’s Public Investment Fund, are expected to continue efforts to lure Salah until their transfer window closes on Thursday next week. They are unlikely to have made an approach to Liverpool without encouragement that Salah is receptive to a move to the Middle East.
Liverpool have rejected what would amount to the third highest transfer fee of all time for their prized asset. Jürgen Klopp has no intention of selling his leading goalscorer from each of the past six seasons, with no time to sign a replacement.
Salah has two years remaining on the £350,000-a-week contract he signed with Liverpool only last year, although the personal terms on offer from Al-Ittihad will be astronomical in comparison. His agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, stated last month that the contract would not have been signed had Salah intended to leave and his client remains committed to Anfield.
Speaking on Friday morning, Klopp said he was unaware of any bids for Salah and the forward, who is part of Liverpool’s internal leadership group this season, has shown no sign of being distracted by Al-Ittihad’s interest.
The Liverpool manager admits the threat from the Saudi Pro League to the European transfer market must be taken seriously but said: “From my point of view I see absolutely nothing [to worry about]. Mo is super committed, really in training fully there, and in the leadership meetings this week he was fully in. So why should I open something where there’s nothing? You can write and do what you want. I have to deal with facts, and my fact is: ‘All good, we are here and everything is fine.’”
The Liverpool manager, who lost Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to lucrative offers from the Middle East this summer, said: “We are still a bit surprised by the activity from Saudi Arabia. I don’t know where it will lead but it feels rather like a threat or a concern than not. The difference in contracts [being offered] is so big it will cause conflict 100%.”
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