With just four days to go in the transfer window, the big story at Liverpool doesn’t concern incomings, but instead one potentially seismic departure.
Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad is trying to pull off what would arguably be the country’s biggest coup yet by luring Mohamed Salah from Anfield. Liverpool has maintained that the Egyptian is not for sale, but according to CBS Sports, Al-Ittihad is ready to test that stance with a huge nine-figure offer.
The prospective bid will be worth a maximum of $162m (£129m/€150m), which would make Salah the third-most expensive player in the history of football behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
However, it’s worth noting that only $108m would be guaranteed under this package, with the remaining $54m attached to certain conditions.
It remains to be seen if Salah makes a concerted push for a move away (highly unlikely), but Liverpool would not let its talisman leave regardless, especially given the difficulty of replacing him at this stage of the market
On the field, the 31-year-old made it three goal involvements in as many games to start the new season as he set-up Darwin Núñez’s dramatic winning goal against Newcastle United on Sunday. Here are the two Liverpool.com stories from today that you shouldn’t miss.
Mohamed Salah transfer latest
There’s no indication that Mohamed Salah played his last game for Liverpool on Sunday, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has told NBC Sports. Salah is currently expected to be part of the team that faces Aston Villa this weekend, with no medical on the horizon ‘any time soon’.
This comes after Saudi Arabian outlet RiyadiaTV claimed that the attacker was preparing for his Liverpool farewell prior ahead of the trip to St James’ Park.
Ideal Mohamed Salah successor clear for Liverpool
Borussia Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi could be the perfect replacement for Mohamed Salah if Liverpool loses him.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Adeyemi features on the shortlist of possible heirs, and upon inspection, he ticks many of the most important boxes.
While he’s played across the frontline, he’s left-footed, so he could cut in off the right in the style of Salah, and he’s also shown himself to be a ruthless finisher.
There are a couple of differences — Adeyemi is more of a dribbler and lacks the same creative threat at this stage — but one thing the players share is immense pace. Last season, the German landed the all-time record for top speed in the Bundesliga, placing him ahead of Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.
