Will the Saudis push the Pharaoh to ruin his legacy at Anfield?

Is being romantic in today's football the same as being stupid? Or is it having integrity and not being greedy? It really depends on the person. There have been some players who denied the Saudi millions such as Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Bernardo Silva, Romelu Lukaku, or managers such as Marco Silva and their reasons were various but most of them state that legacy is something they want to pursue.

Fans of Liverpool are lately biting their nails in the hope that Mohamed Salah will want to stay at Merseyside and leave a lifelong legacy with the Reds. It will be hard and tempting given that Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad are ready to test the Egyptian and are preparing an eye-watering bid of around 118 million pounds (137,000,000 euros) for their star player, despite the club insisting he is not going anywhere.

Saudi Pro League chief executive Saad al-Lazeez traveled to France on Tuesday and will base himself in Cannes for the remainder of the European transfer window to make late attempts to tempt more stars to their growing league.

And after an eye-watering summer spending spree, Salah is the player that Saudi clubs view as the biggest venture yet. They see Liverpool players as huge marketing vehicles due to their ‘brand’, and Salah is the most well-known Arab athlete in the world.

Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas took steps to reassure Liverpool fans earlier in the month by publicly stating he would not be leaving this summer, but that hasn’t deterred Saudi money men who believe they have had encouragement to make a formal bid of around 150,000,000 US dollars.

On the other hand, Liverpool hold a firm stance that their star player is strictly not for sale and as per Mail Sport Jurgen Klopp would be furious at the club if Salah were to leave this summer. The Reds are aware any Salah exit could derail their season and Klopp’s entire project at Anfield.

But Saudi chiefs have travelled to Europe and the same source they have received encouragement that the player would be keen to listen to offers. Clubs in the Gulf state view Salah as their crown jewel ahead of the Club World Cup on home soil in December.

If the 'Pharaoh' does accept the offer and leaves Anfield for Saudi football, it will continue a trend of Saudi clubs swooping for Liverpool’s prized assets after they tempted former captain Jordan Henderson to the Gulf state, along with Fabinho and Roberto Firmino. They also wanted Alisson earlier in the summer, and are keen on the defender duo Gomez-Konate.

Al-Ittihad, the club who want Salah, have already signed Fabinho from Anfield this summer, and have tempted former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante to the club, along with ex-Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Al-Ittihad have held interest in Salah all summer but that has ramped up in the last seven days. If they were to make a proposal to Liverpool four weeks ago, there is a feeling the club would have been more open to listening to offers.

Liverpool would steadfastly rebuke any attempts, with manager Klopp now playing a more central role than ever in transfer strategy. The German boss will be privately worried about the Saudi raid on Liverpool and would be furious if Salah was to leave.

Since Michael Edwards and Julian Ward departed Liverpool, manager Klopp is influential in transfer strategy alongside current sporting director Jorg Schmadtke, who was crucial in tempting Dominik Szoboszlai to the club in a swift business deal.

Klopp said last Friday that there was nothing to report or talk about when asked about a bid for Salah, as no official approach had been made. But the Saudis are now willing to make a formal play to sign the Egyptian.

The Saudi Arabian transfer window remains open until September 7, a week after the English one closes - to the anger of Klopp. Salah is 31 and on around 350,000 pounds a week at Liverpool, and they could cash in next summer if they rebuke attempts in the coming weeks.

Though Al-Ittihad face an uphill struggle in the coming days, they believe they have been given enough encouragement to make a formal offer and are now willing to test the resolve of Liverpool chiefs.