Salah bidding war erupts in Saudi Arabia

Carlo Garganese

• 13 Sept 2023 14:23 BST
• 3 min read

Al-Ittihad are not the only Saudi Arabian side who will try to sign Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah in 2024.

According to journalist Bruno Lemos, Al-Hilal will also enter the race for the Egyptian attacker and movement is expected from both Saudi sides in January.

Al-Ittihad had a huge offer of €175m rejected by Liverpool in the closing days of the summer transfer window.

READ MORE: Saudi Pro League summer transfers 2023: All the Done Deals

According to Lemos, Salah remains the top target for Al-Ittihad in 2024, and are intent on signing him in either January or the summer.

There have been reports Al-Ittihad could make a world record transfer offer of around €234 million for Salah, although it remains to be seen if they would pay such an amount in 2024 when Salah is six or 12 months older.

Will Salah leave in 2024?

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Were such an offer to arrive and Liverpool were to accept, it would make Salah the most expensive player in football history.

Neymar still holds the world record for biggest transfer of all time for his 2017 move to PSG from Barcelona.

The Parisians paid €222m in order to bring the Brazilian to the Parc des Princes, meeting the attacker’s release clause in his Barcelona contract.

Neymar, ironically, is now playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Hilal after leaving PSG this past summer.

He could thus be a teammate of Salah in 2024.

Given Salah will be 32 next year, it is widely believed that Liverpool would consider a sale at the end of the season.

Salah joined Liverpool from Roma for a bargain €38m in 2017 and has since gone on to become one of the club’s greatest players of all time.

He has scored 188 goals in 309 games for Liverpool, leading the club to the Premier League and Champions League titles. He has won three Premier League Golden Boots and was Premier League Player of the Year in 2017-18.