Liverpool could reportedly be the next club hit by the sudden ambitious transfer deals being conducted by clubs in the Saudi Pro League this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo made the move to Al-Nassr last season after having his contract terminated by Manchester United, and a number of other big names have since followed him to Saudi Arabia.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano in his CaughtOffside column, the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy are set to leave Chelsea for Saudi clubs, while N’Golo Kante’s move to Al-Ittihad was announced yesterday.
Could Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah be next? It seems PIF are keen to keep on targeting big names for Saudi clubs, and it could mean we see the Egypt international lined up for a surprise move away from Anfield.
Speaking to Koura, as translated by 90min, Saudi Arabian football official Hafez Al-Medlej has made it clear he’d like to see a big target like Bernardo Silva followed up by an equally ambitious signing like Salah.
“All transferable footballers will from now on be targeted by Saudi clubs,” he said.
He added: “We do not hire players who are already finished. Al-Hilal is going to sign Ruben Neves, who is 26 years old and who Barcelona wanted. And Benzema has already arrived at Al-Ittihad after being crowned the Ballon d’Or with Real Madrid, who is faced with the dilemma of replacing him.”
“The departure of the big stars from Europe will be a hard blow for the Champions League and the tournament will lose much of its brilliance. We have an example in La Liga. They lost a lot with the transfer of Ronaldo to Juventus. And then they lost more when Messi went to Paris Saint-Germain.
“The departure of the stars from Europe will affect sponsorship and television contracts. Messi is the best footballer at the moment and his incorporation would have provided great value. But we are not going to compensate him with a substitute player.
“Let’s hope that Bernardo Silva, from Manchester City, arrives. We must also start working on the signing of Mohamed Salah since he is overwhelmingly popular in the Arab world and in Europe. I think Salah still has records to break with Liverpool, so I hope if he doesn’t come now, he will in the future.”