Saudi chief names Premier League duo in three transfers he wants to complete
Saudi transfer chief Michael Emenalo has admitted he is keen to sign Mohamed Salah, Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne.
Liverpool star Salah and Manchester City midfielder De Bruyne are widely regarded as two of the best players currently operating in the Premier League. Salah turned down a move to the Saudi Pro League in the summer, with Liverpool rejecting a £150million bid from Al-Ittihad.
Messi, meanwhile, also rejected the chance to move to the Middle East in July to move to Major League Soccer in the United States, joining David Beckham's Inter Miami. But Emenalo appears to be ready to launch fresh bids as he revealed his admiration for the trio.
"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 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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Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne are both being eyed by Saudi Pro Legue clubs (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)Messi is in Saudi Arabia with his Miami side as they prepare to take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in a lucrative friendly. Ahead of the game, Emenalo has extended an olive branch to the World Cup winner over a potential move.
"When you have two of the best players from the last few decades meet each other [Ronaldo and Messi]... we expect it to produce an incredible amount of excitement. It should be fun for the fans and something we're looking forward to," he added.
"What we know for certain is if Messi is still willing and ambitious to perform and is willing to do so in Saudi Arabia, I think we will be able to find him a club to express his skills. It's a possibility if he wants to come here, we will work hard to find him a club."
With Liverpool now back in title contention following a difficult season last year in which they missed out on the top four. But the Reds are flying high after a successful summer window, with Jurgen Klopp's side a point clear at the top of the table.
De Bruyne has endured a challenging season, which has been severely disrupted by injury. The Belgian has been ruled out since the opening day of the campaign, with City four points adrift of Liverpool in his absence.
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