Salah stance on Saudi transfer becomes clear as Liverpool star sent fresh offer
Mohamed Salah is unlikely to leave Liverpool in January, according to the Saudi Pro League's transfer chief.
Salah was the subject of an audacious move in the summer transfer window, with Al-Ittihad offering the Reds £150million for the attacker. That was rejected out of hand by Liverpool chiefs, with Salah having only signed a new long-term contract last year.
That rejection has not dented Saudi hopes though, with Liverpool bracing for more huge offers when the window opens in just under three weeks. While they are set to again test the waters, the league's director of football Michael Emenalo believes it is unlikely Salah will be on the move.
"Mo Salah, like [Lionel] Messi, [Karim] Benzema, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, these are players that when there is a sense of availability for them, we are willing to listen," he told told Sky Sports News.
"But we also understand that Mo is happy where he is at present and in a historic, wonderful club at Liverpool. We respect that very much and we don't want to come across as putting any pressure on him.
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"But if there is any interest to do something, Mo Salah is a player that you want in your league, in any league. We respect Liverpool and in this scenario, the initiative to do anything won't come from us. There has to be an aligned interest from all parties involved.
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Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo has admitted Mo Salah is unlikely to leave Liverpool"It's a very personal thing, as a player that I recruited [for Chelsea ] and I like. There's nothing I'm saying that is new or ground-breaking. If Mo Salah is available, has an interest to come and everything is aligned, I would be incredibly delighted."
Players such as Ruben Neves and Jordan Henderson have been handed massive wages after joining Saudi clubs. They have also claimed that they have been influenced by the 'project' that the Saudi officials have set out.
Emenalo has admitted he will be pressing for more big names to join in January, laying out his sales pitch to targets. But he insisted that signings were not the only way the Saudi league is trying to grow.
"What we want to emphasise is this league isn't only going to be built on player acquisitions. It's going to have foundations that include improvements in infrastructure that look to the future, that the league and clubs are able to develop their own players," Emenalo added.
"Acquisitions of foreign players is a big part of what we want to do, but it's not the aspect we're focused on. What we do in this coming window could also depend on manoeuvres in terms of players moving out to be able to bring players in.
"We are not shying away… but we are always ready to make signings and we have the capability to go in and compete [in the January market]."
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