Dharmesh Sheth believes that Liverpool won’t cave into a likely Saudi Arabian onslaught to try and lure Mo Salah from Anfield in January.
The Reds already rejected Al-Ittihad’s offer of £150m for the 31-year-old in September as the Jeddah club tried to make him the marquee recruit of an extraordinary summer of spending in the Middle East (The Guardian).
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Sky Sports reporter fully expects Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to make another attempt at signing the Egyptian but has backed the Merseysiders to stand firm for the upcoming transfer window at least.
Sheth stated: “He’s still got another year left on his contract after the summer. I cannot see Liverpool doing any business with Mohamed Salah in January. If they had their way they won’t be doing any business with Mohamed Salah at all.
“That will not stop Al-Ittihad and the Saudi Pro League to try and get Mohamed Salah. He is their number one target, make no mistake about it. It’s like the dream signing for the Saudi Pro League.
“Liverpool will try all they can. I know he’s in his 30s but he just doesn’t seem to be stopping in his trajectory. He just seems to be getting better and better and better.”
Sheth’s words are a very welcome antidote to the plethora of pundits who appear to be trying to hunt Salah out of England with their predictions of a move to Saudi Arabia in 2024.
As the Sky reporter correctly states, the Egyptian is close to being in the best form of his Liverpool career at the moment, having registered a goal contribution in almost every game so far this season (Transfermarkt).
He’s still only 31, so it’s not as if we’re talking about someone approaching 40 and very much with the end of their playing days in sight. Besides, other mercurial talents like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Robert Lewandowski have continued to excel well into their 30s.
Perhaps the contract expiry date of June 2025 might sway the Merseysiders’ thinking next year when it comes to Salah’s future, as they know they can still command an enormous fee for the winger.
However, replacing a player of that magnitude will be no easy feat, and no matter how much any Saudi club might try to offer in January, he’s simply too important to Liverpool right now for them to even contemplate cashing in.