Al-Ittihad open talks to sign Mohamed Salah in blockbuster summer swoop

Al-Ittihad have formally reopened negotiations to bring Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah to the Saudi Pro League this summer, Foot Mercato reports, as the Jeddah club positions the Egyptian as the centrepiece of a new sporting project at Alinma Stadium.

The 32-year-old, who penned a contract extension last April that ties him to Anfield until June 2027, is being offered a weekly wage of £1.2 million—triple his current Liverpool salary—in a deal that would make him the highest-paid Arab athlete in history and the league’s marquee attraction ahead of its next expansion phase.

Salah’s campaign has dipped sharply; he has managed only six goals across all competitions and has spent increasing minutes on the bench under head coach Arne Slot. Liverpool, languishing with one victory from their last six league fixtures ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Sunderland, are open to a sale that would remove his £400,000-a-week wages from the books and grant the club substantial room to manoeuvre in what is expected to be a major summer rebuild.

Al-Ittihad’s pursuit comes days after Karim Benzema’s headline switch to Al-Hilal altered the balance of power in Saudi football. Club officials believe Salah’s global profile and goal threat can restore their own supremacy, and they are prepared to meet Liverpool’s demand for a significant transfer fee despite the winger entering the final 12 months of his deal. Two years ago the Reds rebuffed a £150 million offer from the same club; this time a compromise is viewed as increasingly plausible.

Any agreement would mark the culmination of a long-standing courtship and represent the most lucrative transfer in Saudi football history, both in terms of fee and salary.