Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp has reassured fans that he isn’t troubled by the possibility of Mohamed Salah attracting renewed attention from Al-Ittihad in the upcoming January transfer window.
Reports suggest that Al-Ittihad from the Saudi Pro League made a £150 million ($185 million) bid for Mohamed Salah right before the Premier League transfer deadline on September 1.
The bid was turned down by Liverpool, but Michael Emenalo, Director of Football in the Saudi Pro League, said that there’s still a possibility for a future transfer involving the Egyptian forward.
While Klopp is determined to hold onto Salah, speculation is swirling about a forthcoming Al-Ittihad bid of around £200 million in January, with the Saudi league aiming to secure another marquee signing to join the ranks of Neymar, Karim Benzema, and N’Golo Kante.
Klopp finds himself in a sensitive situation, one he had hoped would be resolved with the closure of the Saudi transfer window on September 7.
Salah seems unperturbed by the ongoing speculation, and has since delivered two goals and two assists this season. However, Klopp responded defensively to inquiries about the potential for more offers for the 31-year-old in the upcoming year.
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‘You are kidding me. A week after we close the transfer window, you ask about the January transfer window?’ Klopp told reporters on Friday.
‘Obviously, you can’t wait until December to ask these questions. We will see what happens. Until then, I’m not worried in this moment.’
‘I didn’t even think about it until you opened that wound again. No, I’m not worried.’
Anfield has already bid farewell to England midfielder Jordan Henderson, who was attracted by the generous salaries available in the Gulf State, under Klopp’s watch.
At 33 years old, Henderson recently stated that he didn’t receive the desired level of appreciation from Liverpool when he returned from his summer break, which led to his decision to join Al-Ettifaq.
Klopp openly acknowledged that he couldn’t guarantee Henderson consistent playing time this season, given his plans to rejuvenate an aging midfield.
‘We had our talks and I told Hendo I wanted him to stay but we had to talk in these conversations about the possibility of not playing regularly,’ Klopp said.
‘Obviously for Hendo that meant, ‘OK, he doesn’t want me here’. I understand it 100 per cent but we clarified that.’
‘If I would have told him ‘Hendo, stay here, you will be the main man in midfield’, he would have stayed but as much as I wanted him to stay, I couldn’t say that so that’s why it was better that Hendo moved on.’
‘There’s not a bit of bad blood or whatever.’