Former Liverpool team-mate helps Salah make final Reds decision: ‘Even if it means more money’

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is reportedly against a move to the Saudi Pro League after watching Sadio Mane’s spell in the Middle East.

Salah’s goal in the 3-0 win over Manchester United meant for the first time in his eight seasons at the club he had found the net in the opening three matches of the campaign.

He does not appear to be troubled by the fact he has yet to receive a renewal offer to extend a contract which is due to expire in the summer and, having set a new Liverpool record of 20-plus goals for seven-successive seasons, his start to the new campaign means he is already well on his way to extending that.

There have been many rumours over the past couple of years that he could leave Liverpool before the end of his contract in the summer of 2025.

Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad made a huge £150m offer to sign Salah just over a year ago but Liverpool made it clear that he was not for sale.

There has been speculation in the past that Salah would like a move to the Saudi Pro League but a fresh report from the Liverpool Echo insists that the Egypt international ‘would like to sign a new contract with Liverpool’.

And a big reason for him making that decision is the experiences of former Liverpool team-mate Mane, who made the move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in 2023.

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The Liverpool Echo insists that Salah has watched the Senegal international’s reputation decline and that, among other factors, has put him off a move to the Middle East.

Paul Gorst wrote in the Liverpool Echo :

‘The declining reputation of his former colleague Mane, since his move to the Middle East, has been cited as one reason for why Salah is seemingly against a move to the Saudi Pro League, in fact. “Salah doesn’t want to be like Sadio in Saudi Arabia,” says one source. “Even if it means more money.”

‘The low crowds, a lack of worldwide attention and the overall standard of the game in Saudi Arabia has been, by all accounts, weighed up by Salah against the financial benefits over the last year to reach a decision that he would like to stay a Liverpool player beyond the current deal, which is worth around £350,000 a week.

‘It’s thought that Salah earns around £1m a week when all his endorsements and commercial agreements are accounted for. Remuneration won’t be the deciding factor for his next move.

‘The shirtless selfies that Salah has been showcasing on his Instagram account in recent times also point towards an athlete who remains in remarkably impressive condition at the age of 32. The speed dials might have been turned down ever so slightly since the jet-heeled days of earlier in his career but the strength and conditioning exercises ensure he remains in perfect shape to make the difference when it matters most.’