'Did the offer give Salah a boost?' Klopp jokes at mention of Al-Ittihad's bid

Mahmoud Elassal , Saturday 4 Nov 2023

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp shared a lighthearted moment as he recalled Al-Ittihad Jeddah's ambitious attempts to sign Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah last summer, playfully remarking, "Did it give him a boost or whatever?"

Salah
Jurgen Klopp (L) said Mohamed Salah (R)

 

Media reports surfaced in late August revealing that Al-Ittihad Jeddah had made a £100 million offer to Liverpool for the acquisition of Salah, along with a weekly salary of £1.5 million for the player himself.

During a press conference on Friday, Klopp affirmed that Salah had not expressed any desire to leave the club, and the thought never crossed the coach's mind either.

Despite having just one year left on his current contract at the end of the season, Salah appears unfazed by the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.

Klopp jokingly responded to the mention of Al-Ittihad's bid, during a press conference ahead of Luton Town game in the English Premier League, saying "Did it give him a boost or whatever? An offer came in, you said? And then what happened? It was rejected for football reasons."

When pressed further, Klopp evaded the topic, stating, "Oh, yeah? I don't know anything about an offer or whatever. But it is not important. Mo is here, Mo never came to me and wanted to go. I didn't think a second about it, to be honest. Should we or not? Yes, he is here. He feels extremely well, you can see he is enjoying the team a lot."

The 31-year-old Salah has been in fine form this season, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists in 14 appearances.

"He played the last 105 minutes. In the last game, he played as a number nine. He is in good shape. On the pitch, everyone can see his goal-scoring prowess. Off the pitch, he is even in better spirits," added Klopp.

"He is really positive. He enjoys the company of the boys and recognizes their potential, wanting to maximize it by contributing to their success. As for the other stuff, I never thought about it and hope I don't have to."

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)

Short link: