Saudis ‘confident’ of signing Liverpool superstar Mo Salah as new strategy drawn up – Sources

Saudi Arabian chiefs are growing in confidence that they will be able to snare Mo Salah away from Liverpool, with sources revealing to TEAMtalk the terms of his massive prospective contract in the Middle East.

Salah was the subject of intense interest from the Saudis last summer, as Al-Ittihad submitted a huge £150million offer for his services. However, the stunning offer was rejected as Liverpool had no intention of losing the forward at that stage.

Salah went on to register 25 goals and 14 assists in 44 games for Liverpool last term, in what proved to be Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield.

The Egyptian ace remains a Liverpool player, despite the constant speculation surrounding his future, and he got off the mark with a goal and assist as Arne Slot’s side beat Ipswich Town 2-0 last weekend.

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But Salah has entered the final year of his contract and officials at the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) are prowling.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that the current campaign is expected to be Salah’s final one with Liverpool, as Saudi Arabian clubs are already working to secure his signature.

Rather than spend huge money to land him this summer, though, Saudi giants have drawn up a new strategy and want to agree a free-transfer deal ready for when his contract expires next year.

The Saudis are aware that to date there has been no progress for Liverpool to tie down their talisman to fresh terms.

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Of course, Saudi interest in Salah is nothing new. Not only did they court the 32-year-old last summer, the Saudis also resumed contact for him in June, hoping that Klopp’s farewell could facilitate the star’s exit.

The chances of Salah leaving Liverpool this summer are low, however, which is why PIF’s plan now is to work on the possibility of agreeing a pre-contract deal with him in January-February.

Should an agreement be reached, then Salah would join one of the Saudi Pro League’s biggest clubs when his Liverpool terms run out.

The PIF is preparing a huge contract offer which will run for an initial two years and also include the option for an extra year. Salah is due to receive a monster salary, in line with what Neymar currently earns at Al-Hilal.

Contacts with Salah have been going on constantly for two years now, and in the coming weeks, when the summer market will be closed, the PIF will focus fully on the negotiations with the ex-Roma ace. They will officially present him with the proposal that is currently in the works.

Once formal talks have resumed, the Saudis will negotiate with Salah over which club he will join. Al-Ittihad remain interested, but Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli are all in the mix too.

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