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When Liverpool rejected a reported $189.6 million bid from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad for Egyptian star Mohamed Salah last September, it seemed the English Premier League club had drawn a line in the sand. Put simply, it did not want to lose Salah, who has been one of the world’s best players over the past five years.

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Liverpool has been vindicated this season as its No. 11 has once again been a leading light in the Premier League – scoring 25 times in 42 games and creating a further 14 goals for his teammates. However, with long-time manager Jurgen Klopp set to leave the club at the end of the current campaign, reports linking Salah with a move to Saudi Arabia have resurfaced.

A recent, very public, pitch side disagreement with Klopp appeared to add fuel to the fire – though with the German set to be replaced by Feyenoord’s Arne Slot next month – there could be an opportunity for a fresh start for Salah with Liverpool’s new coach.

Some English media outlets have even suggested that Liverpool is set to offer Salah a new contract this month, though this is also an oft-utilized tactic to drive up any potential transfer fee and would be particularly useful in the Egyptian’s case as his current deal expires in 2025.

Al Ittihad still interested

Al Ittihad’s interest in Salah has certainly not waned and after a relatively quiet January transfer window for the Saudi Pro League, the division’s biggest clubs are expected to make waves again with more marquee signings this summer.

There would be few bigger coups than Salah. A hero across the Arab world who has transcended his sport to become a cultural icon in the MENA region and beyond – bringing Salah to the Saudi Pro League would be a major statement of intent.

As a player who is still performing at the peak of his powers in arguably the world’s best domestic club competition, Salah would be a superstar signing to rival Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of positively impacting the Kingdom’s burgeoning global football reputation.

For Al Ittihad and the club’s fans, it would be a fairytale arrival capable of injecting much-needed life into a team that has struggled to be competitive this season.

After winning the 2022-23 Saudi Pro League title, Al Ittihad made a host of big-name signings last summer to further strengthen its squad. However, first Nuno Espirito Santo and now his replacement as coach Marcelo Gallardo have found it difficult to get those players to gel effectively.

Al Ittihad will finish this season trophyless, with the added ignominy of watching rival Al Hilal produce its most memorable campaign in recent memory – one that could end with a domestic Treble.

Filling the creative void

Part of the issue is that while the players who arrived at Al Ittihad with big reputations last summer were of undeniably high quality, none was capable of being the team’s creative fulcrum. Karim Benzema is one of the game’s greatest ever natural finishers but by the end of his time at Real Madrid relied heavily on the consistently excellent service of his talented team-mates.

Al Ittihad’s Karim Benzema applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)

Benzema is not a one-man wrecking machine like Ronaldo, capable of creating something from nothing, while fellow arrivals N’Golo Kante and Fabinho are both midfielders whose main role is to defend rather than attack. More was expected of Jota, though the Portugal winger does not have the same level of experience as the aforementioned trio.

A quick look across Al Ittihad’s rivals shows exactly what is missing. Al Nassr has a high-quality quartet of Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Otavio and Talisca; Al Hilal’s top-scoring striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has been ably assisted in attack by Ruben Neves, Malcolm, Michael and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic; Al Ahli has two of the league’s most adventurous dribblers in Allan Saint-Maximin and Riyad Mahrez.

Should Salah decide to join Al Ittihad, he would bring instant on-pitch ingenuity to a side that has often lacked it this season. The Egyptian’s wand of a left-foot would fill the creative void that currently exists and ease the significant pressure on Benzema, who has been unable to meet the lofty expectations placed on him.

Would Salah join Al Ittihad?

For Al Ittihad to potentially prize Salah from Liverpool, it is likely the club will need to return with a higher bid than was rejected last year. A world record figure of $250 million has been mentioned in some reports and should that materialize it would be a difficult offer for the Premier League outfit to turn down.

Former Egyptian national team striker Mido claimed in February that “Mohamed Salah will be in the Saudi League next season,” while Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emanalo has repeatedly stated he would love to see the Egyptian play in the Kingdom.

“If there is any interest to do something, Mo Salah is a player that you want in your league, in any league,” Emanalo, who signed Salah for Chelsea from Swiss side Basel a decade ago, told Sky Sports in December. “It’s a very personal thing, as a player that I recruited and I like.

There’s nothing I’m saying that is new or ground-breaking… if Mo Salah is available, has an interest to come and everything is aligned, I would be incredibly delighted.”

Emanalo wouldn’t be alone. Salah’s international team-mate Ahmed Hegazi, who has been at Al Ittihad for four years and is now club captain, would also welcome him with open arms. Defensive midfielder Hegazi made his debut for Egypt in the same game as Salah 13 years ago and the pair were also together for a short time at Italian club Fiorentina in 2015.

While Al Ittihad unsurprisingly retains an interest in signing Salah, any potential transfer will require a seal of approval from both Liverpool and the player himself. The Egyptian may yet decide that he is not yet ready to leave European football, though Al Ittihad fans will be hoping that Salah can be convinced by a new project and a return to the Middle East – a region in which he is adored like no other. Should the required pieces fall into place, Salah and Al Ittihad could well be the perfect match.

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