
Liverpool
Premier League • England
Claims of Mo Salah, Saudi ‘agreement’ debunked with Liverpool star’s top priority clarified

Al-Ittihad have been heavily linked with Liverpool icon Mo Salah
Mo Salah remains of serious interest to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad but claims that he has reached an ‘agreement’ to join them next summer are wide of the mark, per TEAMtalk sources.
The Liverpool superstar has just six months remaining on his contract and negotiations over an extension have been ongoing for months and proving more difficult than anticipated.
Salah is free to hold pre-contract talks with any foreign club ahead of a free transfer this summer, which has led to major speculation about his future.
As we have consistently reported, Salah’s preference is to stay at Liverpool. He is still a vital player for Arne Slot’s side, bagging 18 goals in 20 Premier League games this season – the most of any player in the division.
However, there is still work to be done before he pens a new deal, on both duration and economics.
The Reds’ offer of a two-year deal and the salary put on the table are ‘not far from satisfying Salah,’ but there is ‘still something missing’ for a full agreement, per sources.
We understand that Paris Saint-Germain are still in the race for Salah, and they have a three-year contract ready for him and have put forward a competitive salary offer. PSG is currently Salah’s back-up choice in case things with Liverpool don’t go well.
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Salah could go to Saudi one day, but not now – sources
The situation with Salah and Al-Ittihad is somewhat convoluted. There has been an understanding between them for around two years. The mega-money contract previously offered to Salah is still there available to him, when he decides to go to Saudi Arabia.
The key point here though is “when.” Salah’s priority is to stay in Europe as he still dreams of winning the Ballon d’Or, which would be near-impossible in Saudi.
That’s why staying with Liverpool, who are still fighting for trophies on both domestic and European fronts, is most appealing to Salah. PSG would also give him similar opportunities to lift trophies if he chooses to go there next season.
The the possibility of the 32-year-old heading to Saudi one day remains very much alive, but he does not see it as a viable move this year.
Salah remains on very good terms with Saudi’s chief negotiators but TEAMtalk can confirm that any suggestion of an agreement to join Al-Ittihad this summer is incorrect.
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Meanwhile, TEAMtalk correspondent Ben Jacobs has revealed that Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has no interest in a move to Saudi Arabia, despite links.
We can also confirm that Liverpool have not received a £70million bid from Al-Hilal for Nunez, contrary to reports, and that they are reluctant to allow the striker to leave this month.
Al-Hilal’s quota of eight foreign players is not just full, they are over the limit, which is why Neymar is still not registered for Saudi Pro League games. Al-Hilal, therefore, would have to offload two foreigners to sign Nunez in January.
And it is also worth noting that Al-Hilal are planning to sign more foreigners ahead of the Club World Cup, with manager Jorge Jesus prioritising adding a right-sided attacker, which is where the interest in Mo Salah comes from.
In other news, reports suggest that Arsenal closing in on a blockbuster deal to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who came close to joining Liverpool last summer.
Arsenal have reportedly moved to trigger his £51m exit clause, and with negotiations now at an advanced stage, reports have indicated that the deal is virtually completed.
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