Fabinho makes admission over Mohamed Salah to Saudi Arabia speculation

Former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has insisted that Mohamed Salah will not be joining him in Saudi Arabia – this season, at least.

Fabinho's £40m move to Al Ittihad came as something of a surprise, with the midfielder one of the most high-profile transfers to the newly monied Saudi Pro League this summer.

Both the Brazilian and Jordan Henderson's exits turned Liverpool's anticipated midfield rebuild into a full-scale overhaul, with the club signing Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch in the latter stages of the transfer window to compensate for the departures – supplementing the earlier arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Salah was, of course, another major target for the government-backed Pro League, with Fabinho's Al Ittihad seeing an offer reportedly worth up to £150m rejected for the Egyptian.

Speculation over Salah's future has persisted beyond the summer, while the 31-year-old's current contract set to expire in 2025.

However, despite ongoing interest in the three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, he is highly unlikely to leave mid-season during the January transfer window – a reality backed up by Fabinho.

Speaking to talkSPORT during the Club World Cup, Fabinho was asked about Salah's future, responding that his former teammate is 'happy' on Merseyside.

He said: "At this moment Mo Salah is happy at Liverpool. He’s scoring goals every game and he has been their best player. I’m very happy for Mo.

"This season he will stay at Liverpool so I wish him all the best and hope he keeps scoring goals and winning trophies with Liverpool."

While Liverpool can feel confident of keeping Salah – who reached 200 goals for the club during the win over Crystal Palace – until the end of the campaign, there is a decision to be made about his longer-term future.

Next summer represents the final chance for Liverpool to cash in and recoup serious money for the forward, or face the risk of losing him for free a year later.

There is also the alternative of offering Salah another contract extension – an option that seems more plausible each week, given his consistently fine form.

The former Roma star has 14 goals and seven assists in 22 outings for Liverpool so far in 2023/24, and has been a key part of the Reds' rise to the top of the Premier League table.