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Jurgen Klopp sends definitive Mohamed Salah message to Saudi Arabia.
On the day of the European transfer deadline, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp emphasized that the Reds have no interest in playing up interest in forward Mohamed Salah.
Before their transfer window ends later this month, Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia is attempting to entice Salah to the Middle East. It is said that a bid of more than £120 million may be made in an effort to seal a move.
According to reports, Salah is considering transferring to Saudi Arabia, but Liverpool has officially and privately rejected the idea of doing so.
Salah was reportedly already in the Middle East on Friday to discuss a transfer, according to reports from Saudi Arabia. Other reports placed a £150 million price tag on Salah’s head, but Klopp laughed off all the rumours and insisted that nothing is happening.
“The position remains the same, absolutely,” Klopp told a press conference when asked if Liverpool would listen to offers for Salah. “No doubt about that. That’s how it is. Nothing else to say.”
Asked if a bid had arrived, Klopp added: “Not as far as I know, but that doesn’t mean a lot to be honest.”
Klopp expressed his displeasure that Saudi Arabia’s transfer market would continue to be open after Friday’s European deadline.
The Saudi league has set a deadline of September 7 for transfers, whereas FIFA’s calendar places the Saudi deadline at September 20. Klopp underlined his wish to have the Saudi deadline day moved up, regardless of when the window ends.
“I don’t know how sustainable it is, how long it will stay like this, but I think the next two weeks will show how much of a challenge it is [to deal with the threat of Saudi transfers] because nobody can react anymore [if they lose players,” he added. “That’s something I think UEFA or whoever should have an eye on, to sort that. We all have to protect the game we want.
“I love all my players who play now in Saudi Arabia. Usually I would watch them but I didn’t see anything yet, I don’t know exactly where, but it’s not like it distracts me from my watching habits.
“We have to make sure these European leagues stay as strong as they are, and for that we can always help, like changing rules slightly, adapting rules, making laws. We’re all surprised by the activity from Saudi Arabia but it happened a lot and a lot of players went there and it improves the league, definitely.
“I don’t know where it will lead to, but it feels more like a threat or a concern than not, because I can’t see how we can deny it in these moments. What can we do, say no? We can do that but the difference between contracts here and contracts there are so big, that causes problems. 100%.”