Liverpool to take eye-watering £113m hit on Mo Salah sale as Saudi Pro League ready ‘formal offer’ – Exclusive | OneFootball

TEAMtalk sources can reveal that the Saudi Pro League is intensifying its pursuit of Mohamed Salah, with plans well underway to bring the Liverpool icon to the Middle East – though it has been made clear there is a limit to any deal, and with the star’s “absolutely scary” Anfield demise leaving a former Reds star staggered.

Salah will have just a year remaining on his Liverpool deal this summer, which was agreed in April of last year and secured the Egyptian a contract which has proved the largest in the club’s history, netting the player a package worth £400,000 a week.

However, the 33-year-old’s form has taken a dramatic tumble this season and with the star on a 10-game Premier League drought without a goal, speculation over a move away has gathered serious pace in recent weeks.

To that end, we reported last month that Salah was ‘deep in discussions’ over a move to Saudi Arabia at the end of the current campaign in a move that would give the star a prominent ambassadorial role, as well as the chance to own a stake in one of their illustrious Pro-League clubs.

Now, the prospects of that move is starting to gather real pace, though we can reveal the move will come with limits with regards the kind of transfer fee Liverpool will receive.

And Salah, the subject of a titanic £150m (€175m, $195m) from Al-Ittihad in 2023, is now only expected to command a fraction of that fee.

To that end, we can reveal that Pro-League is prepared to reimburse Liverpool the initial sum they paid for Salah – £36.9million (€42m, $49m) from Roma back in 2017. And they are unlikely go beyond that figure, despite the player’s immense stature.

Liverpool’s decision last summer to hand Salah a record-breaking contract protected FSG from losing their prized asset for nothing.

Instead, they opted for security, and while there are no regrets at the hefty £20.8m a year salary agreed, a parting of ways and a breaking of that commitment could soon now be agreed…

Salah’s decline leaves former Liverpool man staggered

Indeed, the Egyptian’s form this season has been way below his best, and there is a growing sense that cashing in this summer would be a decision that suits all parties.

A mere seven goals in 29 appearances so far this season means the player is firmly on course to record his lowest-ever seasonal tally for the Reds. That currently stands at the 23 goals he scored in 48 matches in the 2019/20 campaign.

At one point, Salah was banished from the squad following a clash with manager Arne Slot, only to return to the first-team fold with his form dipping as he approaches his 34th birthday.

TEAMtalk understands that the Saudi Pro League, which has long coveted Salah as the greatest Muslim footballer, is determined to make him a cornerstone of their ambitious future.

The league is ready to offer Salah a deal that would make him one of the highest-paid footballers globally and comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo, with the added incentive of removing his substantial wages from Liverpool’s accounts – a crucial element in negotiations.

However, the financial structure of the deal is clear: the Pro League will not sanction a massive transfer fee, given the scale of the salary package on offer. Liverpool, for their part, are open to such terms, but formal talks between the two parties have yet to commence.

In the meantime, Salah’s incredible decline this season has drawn a stunned response from former Anfield hero Steve Nicol, who is certain he has never before witnessed such an intense drop-off from such a high-calibre star.

“I know that we’re employed here because we played and we’ve seen almost everything. I’ve never seen this. I’ve never seen this,” Nicol responded on ESPN when asked about the 33-year-old’s decline.

“How somebody can go from the top of the mountain and just disappear so quickly is absolutely scary. I’ve never seen it before, ever! I’ve no idea. All of the above could be true. So lack of confidence and an irreversible decline.

“It’s hard to argue that those aren’t two of the problems. I mean, seriously, go figure. I don’t think he could answer it. If you actually spoke to Mo Salah himself and asked him, he wouldn’t be able to tell you, right? I bet he wouldn’t.”

Liverpool latest: Michael Olise transfer stance; Mamardashvili exit route

Meanwhile, Liverpool, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have all made recent checks on Michael Olise’s situation at Bayern Munich, TEAMtalk can exclusively confirm, but he has an alternative next destination in mind.

Elsewhere, Liverpool have been urged to break the bank to sign a world-class PSG superstar as a replacement for Salah, and with a controversial broadcaster revealing the surprise move he has heard the Egyptian superstar will now be making this summer.

The Reds have once again been linked with a move for a £100m-rated Premier League playmaker, though we can explain why Anfield’s priorities will likely focus elsewhere this summer.

And finally, after our exclusive report last week stated that Giorgi Mamardashvili is considering handing in a transfer request to leave Anfield, reports in Spain have now suggested .