LONDON:
Liverpool have rejected a blockbuster £150 million ($190 million) offer for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, according to reports on Friday.
Egypt star Salah has been linked with a move to the Gulf State for several weeks and it is believed a verbal offer was made to Liverpool by Al-Ittihad on Friday.
The bid is understood to have been £100 million up front with a further £50 million in add-ons.
However, the Premier League club are determined to keep Salah and plan to reject all offers no matter the size of the fee.
Salah, who joined Liverpool from Italian side Roma in 2017, signed a new three-year contract with the Reds last year.
His agent had publicly ruled out a switch to Saudi Arabia during the close-season amid a host of Premier League stars opting to accept lucrative offers from the Gulf State.
The 31-year-old has scored 138 goals in 221 appearances during six seasons at Anfield, winning the Premier League Golden Boot on three occasions.
Even if Liverpool had considered the possibility of life without Salah, the bid’s arrival just before Friday’s 2200 GMT transfer deadline would have left them with little time to find a replacement.
Asked on Friday about Salah’s future, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told reporters: “The position remains the same, absolutely. No doubt about that.
“We cannot (sell Salah). That’s how it is. Nothing else to say.”
Reds get kind Europa draw
Liverpool were handed a kind draw on Friday for this season’s Europa League group stage while their Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion can look forward to meeting European giants Ajax and Marseille in their first ever foray into continental competition.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds will play LASK of Austria, Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium and French Cup holders Toulouse in Group E.
