The Saudi Pro League transfer deadline is almost here. It was confirmed a few days ago that it was definitely September 7, rather than the 20th, which had earlier been advertised, and that should come as a relief to Liverpool.
The Reds have no intention of letting Mohamed Salah leave — and that stance has been unwavering throughout — but while the speculation is not instantly going to go away when the window slams shut, it should at least quieten things a little.
Make no mistake, though, Saudi Arabia will be back for Salah. Liverpool, for its part, should not be completely ruling out a mega-money sale on the proviso that it is not right now, and that it is done on the right terms, both financially and regarding the timing.
For now, however, there is no benefit to cashing in unless a completely insane offer was to arrive. Even at $250m-plus, the risk of derailing a promising start to the season would be too great to justify that gamble.
That money is likely to be there in the future and Salah can earn it for the Reds on the pitch via Champions League qualification and potential trophy wins, which are considerably more likely to come with the Egyptian in the side.
That should be the way that Salah views it too. While a move to Saudi Arabia might appeal later in his career, right now, he remains at the peak of his powers, and it must be mentioned that there is no indication from the player’s side that he would want to make an exit rather than continue to be the Reds’ talisman.
That could be especially important this season. Kylian Mbappé is set to stay at PSG, where the team does look well set up to go far in the Champions League, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are no longer in the European game. Karim Benzema, the Ballon d’Or holder, is in Saudi Arabia too and there is a real opening for the best player on the planet to emerge.
Erling Haaland is a competitor, of course, but he does not have the chance to win a trophy with his national team, as Salah will with AFCON, and Manchester City is less of a ‘narrative’ than leading Liverpool to glory.
In 2024, Mbappé could move to Real Madrid and that would place him in pole position to pick up the individual accolades and really establish himself as the world’s leading player. For now, though, Salah is in a better environment than the Frenchman. For the rest of this season, it is hard to see anyone better placed to capitalize on many big names having left the European game.
With Ronaldo, Benzema, Neymar and Messi gone and Mbappé effectively waiting it out before he can leave for Spain, Salah can be the world’s leading player across the course of the next 12 months. But that is only possible at Liverpool, and not Al Ittihad.
