"We absolutely close no doors" - Saudi Pro League director won't give up on Salah pursuit

Interest from Saudi Arabia in Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah remains strong, with Saudi Pro League Director of Football Michael Emenalo remaining steadfast that "no doors" have been shut on their pursuit of the Egyptian.

Salah will remain on Merseyside until at least January after the Saudi league's transfer window slammed shut this week, some seven days after the European window closed.

As the summer progressed - and after Liverpool had seemingly completed all of their outgoings, including both captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Middle East - speculation about the 31-year-old attacker's future started to increase, resulting in Al-Ittihad making a £150-million verbal offer on the eve of the transfer deadline, which Liverpool promptly rejected.

Liverpool consistently maintained that Salah was not for sale during the transfer window and all offers to reunite Salah with former teammate Fabinho in Jeddah were promptly rejected.

However, according to Emenalo, this might not be the end of the story.

"If it didn't happen, it's not because we no longer fancy the player, or because we have a problem with Liverpool. It's because certain things that need to align didn't," Emenalo told Sky Sports.

A fresh approach coming?

Emenalo, who described Salah as "one of the best players on the planet", went on to suggest that a fresh approach could be made in either January or next summer.

"We move on but we absolutely close no doors, if the opportunity is there to do things, do it well and it brings Mohamed Salah to the Pro League we'll all be very grateful."

As the Saudi Pro League seeks to elevate its status among top-tier competitions, continued links to Salah - one of the biggest names in the Arab world - remain inevitable.

How Liverpool would go about replacing Salah, who currently ranks fifth in the club's all-time leading goalscorers list remains to be seen.