Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson was not as close to a move to Saudi Arabia as some transfer rumours over the summer suggested, according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive Daily Briefing column.
The Reds shot-stopper is in superb form at the moment and it’s clear that losing him would’ve been a disaster for the club, who will have been rocked already by the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Pro League clubs.
Alisson is one of the finest goalkeepers in the world and makes sense as someone who would’ve been a target for Saudi clubs, with Romano admitting he could see a club from Saudi Arabia breaking the world transfer record in the next few years.
Still, Alisson never looked a realistic option, so Liverpool fans can relax and continue to enjoy watching the Brazilian shot-stopper in action for them this season.
“I’m not aware of anything concrete from Saudi for Alisson last summer, despite the rumours,” Romano said.
“There were never concrete proposals or official bids, interest always there for a fantastic GK like Alisson but not concrete deal or negotiations. The Brazilian is now in superb form for Liverpool, showing again why he’s so important for the Reds.
“Personally I have loved Alisson since he was at Roma, he’s a top goalkeeper, one of the best, for sure.”
On Saudi clubs and how it impacts the market, Romano added: “Neymar became the most expensive footballer of all time back in 2017, and in a way it’s a bit surprising that we still haven’t seen that record broken, with so many players now moving for huge money and clubs spending more than ever.
“Could that soon change now that Saudi clubs are entering the market like they have? As I reported in the summer, Al Hilal could have done it if they’d signed Kylian Mbappe, as they made a world-record bid of €300m for the player. Of course, he didn’t make the move, so Neymar kept his record for a bit longer.
“It’s difficult to predict names, I don’t want to just guess, but it could be that we’ll see the transfer record broken in the next year or two – Saudi clubs are certainly not afraid of investing huge amounts on a single player.”