Has Mohamed Salah just confirmed that he is staying at Liverpool?
X (formerly known at Twitter) seems to think so.
The 31-year-old forward – just in case you missed it – has been the subject of much interest from the Saudi Pro League in recent weeks, with Al Ittihad (new home of Fabinho) seeing a verbal offer rejected by Liverpool.
Rumours have suggested that Al Ittihad could go as high as £200m to capture the Arab world’s biggest sporting superstar, with the Saudi transfer window not over until 7 September.
While Jurgen Klopp has repeatedly insisted there is no chance that Salah could go now, one report claims that Salah had his head turned by the £1.5m a week (A WEEK) salary package on offer in the Middle East.
Though Liverpool’s public stance has always been that Salah is unsellable, there are lingering fears that they could change stance if the player pushed for the move – considering the sums of money on offer.
However, speaking after the 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, Klopp reiterated Salah’s commitment to Liverpool, saying: “He didn’t tell me [he wants to stay] but he didn’t have to. He speaks with his training and performances and behaviour. We had meetings this week, and the meetings were not about what we did in the past, it was about what we will do in the future.
“Mo was with the players’ [leadership] committee and had his moments where he was talking and it was nothing like ‘by the way, this is only until next week’ or whatever. He is completely here. Mo doesn’t have to come into my office and tell me ‘by the way, boss … [I’m not going]’. For me it wasn’t a subject for one second, to be honest, besides the questions.”
Despite the noise in the media and Klopp’s comments, Salah himself has remained silent on the matter, giving little indication of his true desires one way or the other.
Previously when reports flared up of an imminent Saudi exit, Salah posted a picture of himself enjoying the Egypt exhibit at the British Museum.
However, on Monday morning Liverpool’s Egyptian King may have given his biggest hint yet that his immediate future lies with Liverpool, as he posted a photo of himself celebrating Sunday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
Though the post contained no caption the image and timing of it was enough to convince many Reds online that Salah has not celebrated his last goal for the club.
Speaking after the victory over Aston Villa, midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai also claimed that Salah has told the team that he wants to stay.
“It is football, everyone is talking. We are really happy that he has stayed,” he told reporters. “We are of course speaking between each other but he wants to stay, he wants to be here and be with us. We are really happy. We need people in the team like him.”
Meanwhile, Andy Robertson was another player to insist that Liverpool’s record Premier League goalscorer is going nowhere, adding: “[Salah has] always been committed to Liverpool, we see that in his performances. For us there is no concern. He is a Liverpool player and we think that will be the case for the foreseeable future.”
With Liverpool’s trip to Wolves not coming until 16 September, after the international break, the next time the Reds take to the field, the Salah saga will be over – at least until the next transfer window.
