The interest of the Saudi Pro League in Liverpool ace, Mo Salah, was never going to go away, and anyone who thought otherwise is ill informed at best.
The Egyptian King would be another huge attraction for the emerging UAE project, bringing more kudos to the league as it attempts to grow itself into a true footballing destination for elite players in the lead up to the 2030 World Cup.
Another ex-Reds super star, Steven Gerrard, has found that things haven’t really gone to plan for his Al Ettifaq side during his tenure, and to that end, he’s made a direct plea to his paymasters at the club.
They currently sit in ninth place in the table, and are a whopping 26 points behind leaders Al Hilal after just 18 matches.
“I’m not aware of specific names yet for Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq, but for sure it will be a busy January for them,” Fabrizio Romano said in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.
“There will be many signings and the number will depend on the opportunities. Gerrard told the board in a very clear way, both in private and public, that he needs new players.”
It’s clear that by signing a player such as Salah, Al Ettifaq’s fortunes could take a massive upward turn.
The second half of their season could be transformed if he could be persuaded to swap Anfield for the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium.
However, even if such a move were going to happen, it won’t be in the first month of the new year.
“The situation is very quiet with Mo Salah and a Saudi switch, however,” Romano continued.
“Salah is fully focused on Liverpool as they’re flying in all competitions, but the Saudis still like him obviously and they still dream of Salah for their project. This is not something concrete for the January transfer window.”
You can never say never in football of course, and there may well be a career for Salah in Saudi at some point.
The likelihood is that it will be next summer at the very earliest, and if Liverpool end up having a trophy-laden season then the Saudis might just have to bide them time once more.