Liverpool trumped by 'huge numbers' offered to superstar as expert names crunch factor in star's decision

Liverpool chiefs have already decided they are unwilling to match the extraordinary wages offered to Mo Salah from Saudi Arabia – but hopes remain alive that he could yet remain at Anfield with a former Premier League chief revealing the factors that will sway the star’s final decision.

The talismanic Reds star is out of contract at the end of the current season and locked in negotiations over an extension to his deal at Anfield. But with Liverpool yet to settle on fresh terms with Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas, speculation over a lucrative free-transfer move away from Merseyside at the season’s end remains a genuine possibility.

The loss of Salah – already Liverpool’s highest-earning player on £350,000 a week – cannot be understated and his possible departure this summer would leave the Reds with a near-impossible hole to fill.

As a result, there are no shortage of takers looking to offer the player a lucrative deal to move on from Merseyside and in recent weeks, the foot has been pushed down on the accelerator in Saudi Arabia and amid claims last week that Al-Hilal were readying a monumental salary package worth a staggering £65m to the player over a two-year deal.

Claims of that offer have since been confirmed by former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness and he admits the Reds will not even try and match that ridiculous salary approach.

However, in an interview with Football Insider, he insists money will not be the decisive factor for the 32-year-old, who will put “what he wants to do on the pitch” at the top of his agenda when deciding his next move.

“I don’t think Liverpool will want to match the Saudi offer, given the age of Salah,” Wyness said. “Al-Hilal have come out of the pack, and it’s huge numbers.

“It won’t just be the football numbers, it’s also the status he would have in Saudi.

“But I don’t think this will be a question of money – because there’s only one winner in that case.

“It’s a question of what he wants to do on the pitch. Does he want to get more records at Liverpool? It’ll come down to what he wants football-wise.”

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Salah likely to reject Saudi with two options open

Efforts to bring Salah to the Gulf State are nothing new and the player was the subject of a failed £150m offer from another Saudi Pro-League side Al-Ittihad back in summer 2023.

The latest charm offensive, though, is being led by the chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, who last week shared a picture of Salah on his Facebook page of the Liverpool star in an Al-Hilal kit.

Alalshikh, who has also proved a major influence in his country’s effective hijacking of all major world boxing fights, will be the man to choose where Salah ends up moving to if a switch to Saudi is green-lit. Per The Sun, Alalshikh has now made it clear that he sees the 233-goal Liverpool sensation as an ideal successor for Neymar for the Riyadh-based club.

According to our transfer correspondent Rudy Galetti, however, Salah is not yet ready to move to Saudi at this stage of his career and will continue to give priority to Liverpool over negotiations. Already their fourth-highest scorer of all time, an extended stay at Anfield would offer Salah a chance to hunt down Ian Rush’s record mark of 346 goals.

And even if Salah failed to reach an agreement to stay at Anfield, a move to PSG – whom the player has a close personal friendship with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi – would be of far greater appeal to the Premier League’s current top scorer.

Salah also this week became the first Liverpool player in history to reach 50 goals in European competition for the club after netting the opener in the 2-1 Champions League win over Lille on Tuesday.

After the game, Salah was asked again about his future by Amazon Prime and if he will still be around to score another 50 goals in Europe for Liverpool, offering a coy 11-word update: “I’m not sure about that, but I’ll give it my best!”

Latest Liverpool news: Romano teases Cherki move; Zubimendi choice made

Meanwhile, Liverpool links to Lyon star Rayan Cherki have drawn an update from Fabrizio Romano who has provided the latest on that speculation linking the midfielder to Anfield and having also revealed the gentlemen’s agreement that is in place to allow the player to leave the Ligue 1 side with immediate effect.

Elsewhere, Liverpool are finally set to learn Martin Zubimendi’s decision on his future having been the subject of strong interest from both the Reds and Arsenal over the last few months.

Now according to one report, the Spain star is finally set to confirm his decision to join the Gunners, with his switch to Emirates immediately putting two stars under immediate threat.

And finally, Liverpool are reportedly now seen as the side ‘best positioned’ to pull off the extraordinary summer signing of Newcastle hotshot Alexander Isak, with the Magpies seemingly having identified his replacement should they lose the prolific Sweden star.

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