Liverpool's Mo Salah set for 'astronomical' Saudi offer

Mohamed Salah and rumours of a move to Saudi Arabia, what else is new?

The Saudi hierarchy has been desperate for the Egyptian to join the illustrious Saudi Pro League and their approach is set to intensify over the upcoming months.

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In a matter of weeks - January 1 - Salah will be entitled to begin negotiations for a pre-contract agreement with rival clubs to secure his long-term future, should Liverpool fail to extend his deal at Anfield.

Currently, negotiations seem to have stalled, with Salah himself coming out and speaking to the media last week, claiming that he is yet to hear anything from the club, so he is currently set to be 'more out than in'.

And while Liverpool fans will be hoping that the eight-season wonder will be able to prolong his stay, transfer speculation over the winger is set to be rife over the upcoming months.

The Saudi's 'dream' signing

According to the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel, the Saudis are more focused on a move for Salah than ever.

He writes: "Mohamed Salah is the Saudi Pro League's ‘dream’ signing next summer.

"Salah’s current deal expires at the end of the season, and he was the subject of a failed £150million offer from Saudi club Al-Ittihad in summer 2023.

"Nevertheless, Saudi chiefs believe the Egyptian’s return to the Middle East next summer would make financial sense despite what would be a huge cash outlay."

Indeed, Salah would be leaving Liverpool for free in the Summer rather than for a possible cash outlay should the transfer happen in January, although while the team is playing remarkably well so far this season, the club is indefinitely going to make use of his services this season, should it be his last.

A move to Saudi, while heartbreaking for Liverpool fans, would somewhat make sense for the Egyptian King, given he would be playing in much closer proximity to his home country, and he would be certain to reunite with some of his ex-Liverpool teammates - Fabinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, to name a few.

At 32 years old, he is traditionally expected to be at the twilight of his career, starting the road towards retirement, although his numbers certainly continue to put him right up with the elite forwards in Europe, so maybe Salah would want to remain competitive in Europe.

However, the main sticking point is likely to be the financials and whether Liverpool are willing to cough up a pay rise or continue his current terms of £350,000 a week (£18.2million a year).

'Astronomical' Saudi wage offer

In his report, Mokbel at the Daily Mail continues, writing: "While Salah would be available on a free transfer, his wage package would be astronomical.

"Cristiano Ronaldo’s deal with Al Nassr is worth a reported £177million a year, with sources claiming any deal for Salah to join the league would be on a par or even eclipse the figure.

"But the marketing power of Salah, one of the most famous and popular figures in the Arab world - returning to the Middle East is a prospect that excites the SPL hierarchy, who believe the 32-year-old’s arrival can be lucrative for the division.”

While Ronaldo's wage package is likely to involve a number of different sponsorships and bonuses, £177million a year is a truly astonishing amount of money. In fact, if Ronaldo was a country, he'd have the third-highest defence spending budget in the world.

Should a plausible wage package for Salah be anywhere near the region of that figure, then there is not a football club on earth that would be able to compete with that kind of offer, never mind Liverpool.

It was reported earlier this week that Liverpool have an operating loss of £110million from the most recent account figures, a number that has nearly tripled from the 2022/23 accounts, as a result of Liverpool failing to qualify for the Champions League two years ago.

As such, the contract crisis involving Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk could not have come at a worse time, given the likelihood that Liverpool's owners FSG will have to find a magic money tree from somewhere if the club is to keep hold of all three players.

Anfield Watch exclusively revealed today that Van Dijk is expected to sign a new deal at the club, while Trent's future is very much blurred - although Real Madrid looks the likely destination for Liverpool's homegrown fullback.

While time is of the essence for the Reds to make any new deals, the Saudis will continue to linger until their window of opportunity arrives, and if the reports are true, then Liverpool will not be able to compete financially with the power of the Saudi PIF.

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