Liverpool has signed a sizeable strike Medical done, arriving to Anfield on Monday 

Liverpool has signed a sizeable strike

Medical done, arriving to Anfield on Monday

Liverpool beware! Saudi Arabia are ‘obsessed’ with Salah signing

Saudi Arabia are “obsessed” with signing Mohamed Salah from Liverpool, according to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol.

The country are determined to add Salah to the wealth of talent they have already signed, as they view him as the most famous player in the Arab world.

In fact, the Egyptian would be such a marquee signing that Saudi Arabia are willing to pay whatever it takes to complete a deal.

MORE: Saudi Pro League: How to watch on TV or live stream

Liverpool remain adamant that their star man is not going anywhere but every player has a price.

Should The Reds be offered upwards of £200 million, would they be able to turn that down?

Here are the most expensive Saudi Pro League transfers to date – a list that includes former Liverpool players Sadio Mane and Fabinho.

 

The 10 most expensive Saudi Pro League transfers of all time10. Roger Ibanez – €30m (from Roma to Al-Ahli, 2023)

 

Roger Ibanez was linked with a move to Chelsea in both 2022 and 2023 after starring for Jose Mourinho’s Roma, but the centre-back joined Al-Ahli for €30m instead.

 

Nottingham Forest challenged Al-Ahli for his signature as Steve Cooper looked to bolster his backline, but the lucrative nature of the Saudi Pro League proved too great to turn down and Ibanez joined Saint-Maximin at Al-Ahli.

 

9. Sadio Mane – €30m (from Bayern to Al-Nassr, 2023)

 

Sadio Mane left Liverpool as a club legend having netted 120 goals in just under 270 appearances for the Reds.

 

© ProShots – Sadio Mane

 

His transfer to Bayern Munich, however, didn’t go as planned. Mane was seen as Robert Lewandowski’s replacement, despite only playing as a centre forward for his final six months at Liverpool, and ultimately failed to live up to the hype surrounding the move.

 

Thomas Tuchel publicly criticised him for his “disappointing” season and Mane’s exit was inevitable after that. He joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr at the start of August 2023.

 

8. Riyad Mahrez – €35m (from Man City to Al-Ahli, 2023)

 

After years of trophy-laden success at Manchester City, Riyad Mahrez decided it was time for a new challenge after helping Pep Guardiola’s side win the treble in his final year at the club.

 

In total, Mahrez left Man City with 78 goals and 59 assists for the club and has departed the Premier League as one of its modern greats.

 

He is Al-Ahli’s most expensive signing in history after his €35m move.

 

7. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – €42m (from Lazio to Al-Hilal, 2023)

 

Perennially linked with Manchester United, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic finally left Lazio in 2023, after spending eight years at the club, but he didn’t move to Old Trafford as many expected.

 

Instead, the Serbian joined Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League after they tabled an impressive salary offer to the player and a €42m fee to Lazio. He signed a three-year contract upon joining Al-Hilal, keeping him at the club until 2026 – when he will be 31.

 

© ProShots – Sergej Milinkovic-Savic6. Fabinho – €46.7m (from Liverpool to Al-Ittihad, 2023)

 

Fabinho looked on his last legs during the 2022-23 season and Liverpool snatched at the opportunity to sell the Brazilian when Al-Ittihad offered €46.7m for his services – marginally more than they paid Monaco to sign him back in 2018.

 

The midfielder was pivotal to Liverpool’s success in the 2019 Champions League final and the 2019/20 Premier League season, with the stability he provided allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson bomb forward.

 

Fabinho is Al-Ittihad’s record signing and has joined Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante at the club.

 

5. Aleksandar Mitrovic – €52.5m (from Fulham to Al-Hilal, 2023)

 

Aleksandar Mitrovic finally joined Al-Hilal in mid-August after weeks of speculation that he would leave Fulham.

 

The Serbian striker has left Fulham as their sixth-highest goal-scorer in history (150), while he is their record ever departure.

 

The forward is not only the fifth most expensive signing in Saudi Arabian history, but he is also the fourth most expensive Al-Hilal signing following a historic summer of spending.

 

4. Ruben Neves – €55m (from Wolves to Al-Hilal, 2023)

 

Ruben Neves’ €55m move from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Al-Hilal became the most expensive transfer in Saudi Pro League history at the start of the summer, before it was smashed by first Malcom and subsequently Neymar.

 

The midfielder, who became the youngest ever captain in Champions League history during his time with Porto, was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, but the Blaugrana weren’t able to pay a suitable fee for his services.

 

A continuation of his stay at Molineux looked a possibility until Al-Hilal entered the race for his signature and coughed up a huge fee to persuade Wolves to sell.

 

The transfer was particularly key as Neves was the first player from Europe’s top five leagues to leave the continent in their prime to move to Saudi Arabia.

 

© ProShots – Ruben Neves3. Malcom – €60m (from Zenit to Al-Hilal, 2023)

 

Malcom is best known for his failed transfer to Barcelona, which lasted just 12 months and saw him score just four goals in 24 appearances.

 

Remarkably, Barcelona turned a €500k profit on the Brazil winger when they sold him to Zenit one year after purchasing him, with Malcom enjoying a prolific stint in Russia.

 

He bagged 42 goals for the club in just over 100 appearances before Al-Hilal made him the most expensive Saudi Pro League player ever. That record has since been broken.

 

2. Otavio – €60m (from Porto to Al-Nassr, 2023)

 

Portugal international Otavio spent seven seasons at Porto before moving to Al-Nassr in late August of 2023.

 

The 28-year-old developed into a fine player in the Primeira Liga, hitting double digits for assists in the previous four campaigns.

 

But like many other stars from across Europe, he decided that the Saudi Pro League offered the right challenge for the next stage of his career.

 

He has teamed up with compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Sadio Mane, forming what will surely be a superb front three.

 

1. Neymar – €90m (from PSG to Al-Hilal, 2023)

 

Malcom’s record was obliterated by his countryman Neymar when Al-Hilal spent €90m to lure him away from PSG in mid-August 2023.

 

After a joyous period at Barcelona, Neymar endured an injury-hit career in France, and ultimately failed to win the Champions League or the Ballon d’Or – his two targets upon arriving at the Parc des Princes.

 

His move means Al-Hilal have signed four of the five most expensive players in Saudi Pro League history.

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Liverpool set for $44m transfer reminder as Mohamed Salah can show if Jürgen Klopp missed out

Jürgen Klopp has been prioritizing his midfield department this summer, and rightly so considering that proved to be Liverpool’s biggest weakness last season, with the team finishing fifth in the Premier League table. A huge renovation job has been undertaken in the club’s engine room, with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta all departing.

 

Those players have so far been replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, with Klopp nearing the end of his seismic rebuild in the middle of the park. Once his midfield department has been completely regenerated, the Reds seem likely to address their defensive line, with Joël Matip’s contract due to expire next year.

 

Liverpool has been interested in adding a new center-back this summer, but that need hasn’t ranked near the top of the to-do list on Merseyside. Interest in Levi Colwill was widely reported but after months of speculation, the English defender decided to stay at Chelsea, signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

 

READ MORE: André deadlock broken, $27m Jürgen Klopp call – Dream end to Liverpool summer with two transfers

 

READ MORE: Liverpool ‘agrees’ terms amid Cheick Doucouré delay as super-agent working on transfer

 

The Blues wonderkid has plenty of quality and potential attached to his profile, but he is also left footed. Klopp is said to have an interest in a left-footed option in defense, with Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté all right footed. In fact, the last left-footed center-back at Anfield was Ragnar Klavan.

 

Upon inspection of the rest of the Premier League, Klopp is competing against managers who have what he doesn’t. Pep Guardiola has new signing Joško Gvardiol and Nathan Aké at Manchester City. Mikel Arteta has two lefties in Gabriel Magalhães and Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal. Erik ten Hag has Lisandro Martínez at Manchester United after bringing him from Ajax last year, and Newcastle United has Sven Botman.

 

Indeed, Liverpool is scheduled to come up against the latter this weekend. Botman is a relatively new addition, having joined the Magpies from Lille just 12 months ago. The Dutchman is a physically imposing presence standing around 1.95m tall, he’s capable in possession, and he favors his left boot.

 

Still just 23 years old, he’s already proved to be a great capture for the Toon.

 

Photo by Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images

 

(Image: Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images)

 

Lille demanded around $44m (£35m/€41m) for Botman’s signature at the time, and that has since proved to be a solid investment. He appeared in all but two of Newcastle United’s 38 Premier League matches last term, having been named as a starter by Howe in 35 of them.

 

The Toon posted the joint-best defensive record with Botman as a fixed pillar of strength, conceding just 33 goals from 38 games, which was the same amount shipped by champions Manchester City.

 

The Dutch international was tipped for a move to Merseyside back in 2021, when Klopp was attempting to navigate a disastrous injury crisis in the heart of his defense. Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip all suffered season-ending injuries, which forced Liverpool to explore the market for a solution.

 

Klopp eventually ended up getting Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke — while also signing Ben Davies from Preston North End for a nominal fee — with Botman proceeding to remain in France for another 18 months before making the switch to Tyneside and competing in the Premier League.

 

As a left-sided center-back, he will come up against a certain Mohamed Salah this weekend, with Klopp set to be presented with a reminder of what might have been.

 

The Reds are still looking for a left-footed addition in the market as the transfer window approaches its closure at the end of the month, but if Liverpool had simply moved for Botman around two years ago, Klopp would have one less item on his to-do list right now.

 

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