Al-Ittihad want to sign Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and make him the highest played player in the Saudi Pro League.
As Spanish media Relevo revealed on Thursday, the club are convinced the player wants to join but face a battle to get him out of Liverpool with just a week left of the European transfer window and two years left on his contract.
Salah would be linking up with Karim Benzema if he makes the move. And he would become a direct rival to Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, eclipsing the world record £175 million-a-season deal the Portuguese signed last year.
The Spanish publication also claims that the Egyptian international wants to leave the Anfield club, and that his entourage have met with Al-Ittihad officials in Dubai to make clear their intentions to make him the highest-paid player in the league.
It reports that the player’s religious beliefs are a key part of his thinking, with Islam the official religion of Saudi Arabia.
However, luring the player from Liverpool is surely going to be far from straight forward with the Premier League season already underway. With the Premier League’s transfer deadline on Friday, September 1, Liverpool will have precious little time to replace their talisman, even if they should receive an offer that could tempt them into selling.
Relevo’s revelation that the player is keen on a move comes in stark contrast to the comments from his agent earlier on in the window amid previous interest from Saudi Arabia.
Reports of interest in Salah from Saudi Arabia began to emerge earlier in August, with claims that Al-Ittihad were set to offer Salah around £155m in wages over two seasons.
However, Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa stated that the winger remains committed to Liverpool.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC.’ And former Reds team-mate Dejan Lovren remained unconvinced that a move would materialise, posting a GIF on X in response to the reports which mimed an extending nose, subtitled ‘Stop Lying’. Salah has two years remaining on his current contract at Liverpool, which he signed last year.
Meanwhile, One of Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League winners is back in the familiar surroundings at Cobham as he searches for a new club, according to reports.
The 34-year-old defender has been without a club since his contract with Championship side Leicester City expired earlier this summer.
With no new deal penned elsewhere, his old side are said to have come to the rescue to give him somewhere to train. The left back is said to be ready to make a decision on his future amid interest from England, other top European leagues and the Middle East.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Ryan Bertrand, who did not make a single appearance last season due to a knee injury, is fit again and training with Chelsea’s loan development group.
Bertrand came through Chelsea’s academy and went on to make 57 appearances across all competitions before leaving the club in 2014.
He started on the wing for the Blues in their 2012 Champions League final triumph against Bayern Munich.
Bertrand also helped Chelsea lift the FA Cup in 2012 and the Europa League in 2013 before joining Southampton a year later.
The defender, who has been capped by England 19 times, spent seven years with the Saints, making 240 appearances and scoring eight goals.
Bertrand joined Leicester in 2021 but went on to play just 11 times in all competitions for the Foxes due to knee injuries.
Women’s World Cup
Fifa have opened disciplinary proceedings against beleaguered Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales.
Football’s international governing body confirmed that it has opened the proceedings based on his behaviour on the day of the Women’s World Cup final last Sunday.
Rubiales kissed Spanish player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth after the nation’s 1-0 victory over England and also appeared to grab his crotch around Spain’s queen and her 16-year-old daughter. Fifa stated that the events ‘may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code.’
Article 13 refers to ‘offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play’.
Hermoso rejected the chance to appear in his apology video, despite his pleas that ‘my position is at stake, do it for my daughters’.
Despite his confession, Spain’s prime minister has demanded a more complete explanation for his actions, saying his apology was ‘not enough’.
Rubiales is already losing support from within Spanish football circles and his future as president is threatened by revolt – though he has refused to step down.
Hermoso’s union, FUTPRO, said his behaviour should not go unpunished.
Spain’s women’s football league, Liga F, has called for his dismissal and lodged a complaint with the president of the Superior Sports Council after Rubiales’ ‘very serious actions and behaviour’.
At the time of writing, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, Osasuna, and Getafe have all called for him to resign.
Today, the Spanish Football Federation will hold an emergency meeting, where he will face questions over the fiasco “as a matter of urgency”. — dailymailonline.
