SAUDI SCRUTINY: ANALYZING LIVERPOOL'S REFUSAL TO TERMINATE MO SALAH'S $PL-LINKED CONTRACT
Mohamed Salah is not expected to feature against Brighton. Sources reveal Liverpool leaders are ready for his early AFCON departure as contract and transfer talks intensify.
Sources report that Arne Slot doesn't expect Mo Salah to play in this weekend's game against Brighton & & Hove Albion. Apparently, there's no apology coming from the Liverpool star, and a departure plan is already being discussed.
Sources inside the Liverpool team told us that they don't think their Egyptian teammate will be on the field this weekend. The team is getting ready for the Anfield game, assuming Salah won't be there.
We've heard that Liverpool's leaders don't see any point in Salah playing against Brighton and told his people that he can join up with Egypt early before this month's AFCON.
So far, Salah hasn't said he's ready to leave early. He previously said his parents would be at the game to say goodbye to the fans ahead of the competition in Morocco.
Salah has been training by himself following Liverpool's midweek trip to Milan, where they beat Inter 1-0.
We also heard that Salah doesn't think he needs to apologise to anyone, including Slot, and the club doesn't think he will.
Earlier this week, we reported that Salah's people think the best thing would be for Liverpool and the player to agree to end his contract, which has 18 months left.
Liverpool isn't planning to let Salah leave as Saudi links grow.
But for now, Liverpool hasn't shown any sign that they'd consider a deal like that.
Saudi Arabia is still the most likely place he'll go. We know that the Pro League hasn't officially contacted Liverpool yet, but they're aware of what's happening.
Sources in Saudi Arabia confirmed to us that the Pro League would let Salah pick his club if he decides to move there.
FSG’s football director, Michael Edwards, is keeping the club's owners updated, while sporting director Richard Hughes is still planning for January, with Slot's support.
Liverpool is supporting Slot, and that doesn't seem likely to change.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”