Mohamed Salah won’t be travelling to Saudi Arabia with former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho—at least not this season.
Fabinho was one of the most high-profile additions to the newly wealthy Saudi Pro League this summer, so his £40 million move to Al Ittihad was somewhat of a surprise.
The departures of Jordan Henderson and the Brazilian turned Liverpool’s planned midfield makeover into a full-scale overhaul. Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch were added to the team later in the transfer window to make up for the losses, complementing the earlier additions of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Of course, Salah was yet another top goal for the Pro League, which is supported by the government. An offer of up to £150 million was reportedly turned down by Fabinho’s Al Ittihad for the Egyptian.
With Salah’s current contract slated to expire in 2025, speculation about his future continued throughout the summer.
The three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner is still highly sought after, but Fabinho affirms that he is not likely to leave midseason during the January transfer window.
When asked about Salah’s future when speaking to talkSPORT during the Club World Cup, Fabinho said that his former teammate is “happy” on Merseyside.
He declared: “Mo Salah is content at Liverpool right now. He has been their top player and scores goals in every game. I’m overjoyed for Mo.
“This season he will stay at Liverpool so I wish him all the best and hope he keeps scoring goals and winning trophies with Liverpool.”
Salah, who scored his 200th goal for the team in the victory over Crystal Palace, will likely continue at Liverpool through the end of the current campaign, but a decision needs to be taken regarding his long-term future.
Liverpool has one more chance to cash in and get a significant chunk of money for the forward next summer, or else they run the risk of losing him for nothing a year later.
The other option is to offer Salah another contract extension; with his continuously strong performance, this option appears more likely every week.
With 22 appearances for Liverpool so far in 2023–24, the former Roma player has 14 goals and seven assists. He has played a significant role in the Reds’ ascent to the top of the Premier League standings.