Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has agreed to a blockbuster move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad, according to the channel beIN Sports.
However, his current club, English Premier League side Liverpool, have not accepted any deal from Al-Ittihad.
Thirty-one-year-old footballer Salah is currently one of the leading men at Liverpool, and the team’s top scorer for the last six seasons. But if Thursday’s report is correct, he has been tempted by what is likely to be an astronomical salary offer to leave one of England’s most famous clubs.
His departure from the Premier League would be a significant coup for the Saudi Pro League (SPL), whose clubs have brought in a raft of elite players from around the world this summer, including Neymar, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Riyad Mahrez.
Four top teams in Saudi Arabia, including Al-Ittihad, have been taken over by the country’s Public Investment Fund, giving them access to a huge pot of money to attract some of the world’s best players to Saudi Arabia, as the SPL plans to boost its profile and become one of the world’s top leagues.
Sports outlet The Athletic reported on Thursday that Livepool have told Al-Ittihad that Salah is “not for sale”, and earlier in August Salah’s own agent had said on social media that his client would not be leaving Liverpool after signing a contract last summer worth a reported 350,000 British pounds ($441,740) a week.