Liverpool have now been handed a huge offer from Al-Ittihad for Mohamed Salah more than previously expected, according to reports.
Al-ittihad had tabled £150m that was immediately rejected in recent times for Salah. However, the expectation was the Saudi pro League champions would come back with a bigger offer in attempt to tempt the Merseyside club to sell.
Reports suggest that Saudi delegations have travelled to the UK, with a packet £200m, with the aim of going even further, to get the player out of the Premier League.
A report from The Sun has claimed that Saudi pro League champions have now offered £215m, which would be a world-record move for the Egyptian.
And even if Liverpool were to reject the tabled offer by the time the Saudi transfer window closes on Thursday, Al-Ittihad will return in January to test their resolve to get their target.
Al-ittihad are ready to tempt Salah with a £2.45m signing-on bonus, also offering him a £55,000 win bonus, a large percentage of takings from shirt sales, and ambassadorial roles for three significant Saudi companies, which could be worth £18m to the Egypt international.
Liverpool are under pressure to decide whether or not to accept the sale to Al-Ittihad. Salah is reportedly willing to join but won’t demand a transfer out of the club; nevertheless, his current employers are reportedly “torn” about what to do.
Klopp insists Salah won’t leave Liverpool
Although Jurgen Klopp has constantly insisted Salah won’t leave Liverpool this season, and is off limits – especially after becoming the highest paid player in Liverpool’s history last summer – other decision makers at the club could find it difficult to give away an offer of that magnitude for the 31 years old.
Liverpool won’t be able to bolster their own ranks until January after selling Salah. However, they would be prepared to do so when the time comes and have a sizable budget.
They would need to do with the attackers they have left and find another combo attack with the likes of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, and Diogo Jota.
A move to Al-Ittihad for Salah would immediately reunite him with his ex-teammate Fabinho, who also left Liverpool earlier in the summer. He could also reunite with his former striking partners Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, also Jordan Henderson who joined the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
