Saudi payday for Liverpool star Salah could be in doubt as PIF slash spending on sport | OneFootball

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah could have to reduce his salary expectations if he wants to pursue a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer, according to reports.

The Reds announced last month that Salah will be leaving Anfield at the end of the season with the player wanting to reveal his plans early in order to say goodbye properly to the fans.

It became clear in December that Salah was likely to leave after the Liverpool forward hit out at the club and manager Arne Slot for making him a scapegoat for their poor mid-season form.

The Egypt international was left out of the team on a few occasions by Slot and thought he was being unfairly treated, although his form has been well below his usual standards.

He and Slot reportedly agreed to put the incident behind them until the end of the season in December before Salah eventually announced his imminent departure in March.

Salah has long been linked with a move away from Liverpool with speculation that Saudi Arabian sides are desperate to bring him to the Middle East.

However, the Iran war is now seeing the Public Investment Fund (PIF) reportedly withdrawing their funding of LIV Golf, which back the tour to the tune of $5bn (£3.7bn).

And there are now fears that the Saudi Pro League could be the next big project to suffer with PIF backing four of the top clubs in the Saudi top flight.

Dr Kristian Ulrichsen, a Middle East analyst at the Baker Institute, told the BBC: “The new plan suggests PIF is no longer willing to keep pumping resources into projects that offer little prospect of profitability.

“The perception that resources – and ambitions – were limitless has given way to a more realistic assessment of what is feasible in a more constrained financial environment.

“That predated the war with Iran and has been underway for more than a year now.”

Dr Ulrichsen added: “This is not to say that PIF or Saudi Arabia is pulling out of sports investment but that the authorities are having to prioritise the allocation of resources more carefully.

“It is likely that PIF and the Saudi state will prioritise the World Cup going forward, at the expense of other sports projects, including LIV Golf.”

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Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol has insisted that it could impact how much the Saudi Pro League are able to pay players going forward.

Solhekol said on Sky Sports: “There have already been some changes to the way they invest in football.

“When they first put money into the Saudi Pro League, there was a massive splurge on players. Cristiano Ronaldo is there earning astronomical sums of money.

“There has been a pull back and there will continue to be a pull back. What does that mean for somebody like Mohamed Salah?

“There’s still a big appetite from the Saudi Pro League to sign Salah this summer – but perhaps he wouldn’t be earning as much as if he had moved to Saudi a few years ago.

“There’s a war going on in the Middle East and economies all around the world have been affected, especially those in the Gulf.

“Saudi Arabia is saying: ‘We’re going to continue investing in sport but we’re going to be very sensible.'”