Saudi sides to bid for TWO Liverpool wingers, as Salah exit clarified and reason Klopp would say yes revealed

Three Liverpool stars are wanted by Saudi Arabian sides next summer including wingers Mohamed Salah and Ben Doak, and a top source has detailed what the future holds for the trio.

Many might have the sense the wheels are beginning to fall off the Saudi Pro League on the back of Jordan Henderson returning to Europe after just six months.

Henderson was not alone in struggling to adapt to life in the middle east. Fellow Liverpool alumni, Roberto Firmino, is also understood to be pining for an early exit.

However, according to reporter Ben Jacobs, Henderson’s transfer to Ajax is viewed as a blip and nothing more by Saudi Pro League chiefs.

Indeed, writing for Caught Offside, Jacobs revealed a gigantic £2bn spend is being planned for the summer window of 2024.

The £2bn figure is inclusive of transfer fees, agents fees and player wages and would blow away the £750m spent solely on transfer fees last summer.

Among the key targets identified as perfect fits for the SPL are Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Tottenham captain, Son Heung-min.

However, three Liverpool stars have also emerged as targets for Saudi sides – Mohamed Salah, Ben Doak and Thiago Alcantara.

Mohamed Salah to stay at Liverpool?

Al-Ittihad verbally offered a whopping £150m for Salah six months ago. Liverpool never had any intention of selling, though the story didn’t end there.

Per Jacobs, Al-Ittihad retain interest in the Egyptian superstar, though priority on bidding for Salah will be given to Al-Hilal who are the runaway league leaders at present.

The two clubs – along with Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli – are all owned by the Public Investment Fund. Given they share the same ownership, the clubs won’t get in each other’s way when attempting to lure the biggest names to the middle east.

Salah is under contract at Anfield until the end of the 2024/25 season. In positive news for Liverpool, Jacobs added Salah is settled on Merseyside and it’s not a given he leaves in six months’ time.

There is a broader expectation that Salah will wind up in Saudi Arabia at some stage in his career. However, with the forward still as dangerous as ever and Liverpool once again competing for top honours, it’s hinted he could sign a new contract that would kick a move to Saudi Arabia into the long grass.

But while major names like Salah, De Bruyne and Son are wanted, Jacobs also claimed Saudi sides will begin to explore loan deals for rising talent in an effort to foster better relations with European sides.

That’s where Ben Doak comes in, with the young Scottish winger struggling for game-time at Anfield this season.

Liverpool could accept Doak loan; Gerrard wants Thiago

A loan spell in Saudi Arabia may also come with a sizeable loan fee attached. What’s more, building relations with Saudi sides may actually benefit European clubs in the long run.

Indeed, it stands to reason Liverpool would not have recouped anything close to the £52m they received in combined fees for Fabinho and Henderson if selling to any country other than Saudi Arabia.

Both midfielders were past their prime and Liverpool believed the lucrative offers were too good to ignore. One look at the Premier League table on the back of Liverpool revamping their midfield shows the bottomless Saudi money actually worked in Liverpool’s favour.

Thiago is the final Reds star wanted in the SPL and the 33-year-old will become a free agent at season’s end.

Thiago was the subject of numerous Saudi approaches last summer, though the player himself rejected every one.

But if a new deal isn’t offered between now and the end of the season, a new chapter in the SPL could await.

Given Thiago is in the last six months of his deal, he’s free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with overseas sides. Jacobs concluded a pre-contract agreement with Thiago is on the agenda at Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.

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