Saudi chase Premier League 100 Club member as Salah deal stalls

Robin Bairner

• 1 May 2024 09:11 BST
• 3 min read

With a deal for Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah looking increasingly unlikely, Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad are ready to target the player third on the list of Premier League active scorers

FootballTransfers exclusively reported in January that Salah was primed to sign a new contract with the Reds, with that news backed up by numerous sources this week.

Previously, Salah had been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield to the Saudi Pro League, which was promising to make him a world-record contract offer.

READ MORE: Salah STAYS, Nunez OUT: How Liverpool could line up under Arne Slot

Current ETV

Mohamed Salah

AM (R), F (CR)

Liverpool

Mohamed Salah

AM (R), F (CR)

Liverpool

€55.8M

ETV Range

€41.9M - €69.8M

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Now, though, with the news that the Egypt star is primed to remain on Merseyside even as manager Jurgen Klopp departs, other options are being explored by the big-spending Middle East league.

Rudy Galetti has taken to X to report that Son Heung-min of Tottenham is the main alternative to Salah.

“Al-Ittihad have identified Son as a possible reinforcement to strengthen their attack,” he reports.

“Salah remains the main target, but considering that things are going at a slow pace for him, the Tottenham player is emerging as an important new alternative.”

READ MORE: Latest Tottenham transfer rumours

Son would be major Saudi signing

Son, who has 16 Premier League goals for the season, would still be a huge coup for the Saudi Pro League.

The 31-year-old is a member of the exclusive Premier League 100 Club of players who have hit triple figures in goals in the competition.

There are only 34 men who have achieved this feat and Son, who has struck 116 times, presently ranks third among those still active in the Premier League, trailing only Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling and Salah in this regard.

There are already two players with 100 Premier League goals to their credit playing in the Saudi Pro League: Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, who both at Al-Nassr.

Romelu Lukaku, on loan at Roma from Chelsea, is also linked with a potential switch to Saudi in the summer, yet Son remains a bigger name.

Tottenham, meanwhile, will be reticent to sell after seeing Harry Kane depart to Bayern Munich a year ago. Spurs have struggled to replace the England international forward and would be loathe to lose another key figure, albeit one who will be 32 by the time next season starts.