Saudi Arabia official urges big-spending nation to ‘start working’ on a deal to bring Liverpool’s Mo Salah to the Middle East, as they also try to add Man City’s Bernardo Silva to their wealth of talent
Mohamed Salah could be the next high-profile player to make a move to the Middle East after a Saudi Arabian official urged clubs to go after the Liverpool star.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns an 80% stake in Newcastle United, have made quite the splash since announcing they had taken control of four leading clubs in the country earlier this month.
Notable names joining Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed up for the project in December after his acrimonious divorce from Manchester United, have been Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
While Ruben Neves and Bernardo Silva draw closer to deals and rumours persist over interest in a host of Chelsea castaways such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy.
The elite level acquisitions have led to calls from Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for the Premier League to look into the unprecedented spree for which Salah could be the latest target.
Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool’s top goal scorer in each of his six seasons at Anfield
Hafez Al-Medlej reckons the Egyptian would be ‘overwhelmingly popular in the Arab world’
Portuguese team-mates Ruben Neves (left) and Bernardo Silva (right) are nearing shock deals
Hafez Al-Medlej, who has held several roles within the Asian Football Confederation and Saudi Pro League, has leapt to the defence of the league’s audacious transfer plan and called for clubs to work on a package that could tempt the three-time Premier League golden boot winner.
‘We are only living the beginning,’ he told Koura, quoted by AS. ‘All transferable footballers will from now on be targeted by Saudi clubs.
‘The experience of China has nothing to do with us, theirs was purely marketing. Soccer there is not the most popular.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the Saudi Pro League’s biggest star and plays for Riyadh-based Al-Nassr
Reigning champions Al-Ittihad signed Karim Benzema after he left Real Madrid this month
‘In Arabia we have a state project and it will not be limited to four great teams, but to all of them. Because the passion for football of the Saudis has no limits.
‘Let’s hope that Bernardo Silva, from Manchester City, arrives. We must also start working on the signing of Mohamed Salah since he is overwhelmingly popular in the Arab world and in Europe.
‘I think Salah still has records to break with Liverpool, so I hope that if he doesn’t come now he will in the future.’
Signing the Egyptian international would be a major coup, arguably second only to the arrival of Ronaldo to the league last year.
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