Salah a target for Saudi, confirms league chief

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is a target for clubs in the Saudi Pro League, confirmed its chief executive Omar Mugharbel.

The 33-year-old was left out of the squad that travelled to Inter Milan for Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League win after publicly falling out with manager Arne Slot and the club.

Following Saturday’s 3-3 Premier League draw at Leeds, Salah said he has been blamed for Liverpool’s poor form and his relationship with manager Slot had broken down.

While the Reds boss denied that and said Salah could still return, Mugharbel said clubs in Saudi Arabia are keen to sign the Egypt international.

“For sure Salah is one of them [a target].”

There have been reports Salah, who signed a two-year contract extension in April, could leave the Anfield club in January.

Saudi interest in Salah has long been known, with a reported £150m bid from Al-Ittihad rejected by Liverpool in September 2023, but this is the first time a league official has gone on the record about the player since his outburst.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who left the club in 2015, said Salah was a “bit emotional and a bit hasty” in giving the controversial interview on Saturday, where he felt he had been “thrown under the bus” after being dropped to the bench.

Gerrard told TNT Sports: “He’s obviously really upset he’s not playing, which I respect.

“A couple of lines about throwing people under the bus were wrong. [He] needs to reverse a little bit away from that, he needs to deal with that with the manager. We’ve all had head loss as players. We’ve all done emotional things.

“I know in time when this all calms, Mo will go, ‘I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I was a bit emotional, I was a bit hasty’.”

Gerrard compared the situation to former Liverpool team-mate Luis Suarez and manager Brendan Rodgers, who fell out in 2013 when the Uruguay forward tried to force a move away from Anfield.

Suarez was made to train alone but returned to the squad and stayed for one more season before joining Barcelona.

“I’ve seen this and I’ve lived it with Suarez when he fell out with Brendan face to face. I’ve been there and done it myself,” added Gerrard.

Since arriving from Roma in 2017, Salah has played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and 2019 Champions League triumph.

But he has scored only four goals in 13 Premier League games this season, with the defending champions 10th in the table – but only three points off fourth-placed Crystal Palace.

Liverpool host Brighton on Saturday at Anfield – two days before Salah joins Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament.