With Mohamed Salah's reported links to Saudi Arabia resurfacing, uncertainty surrounding the player's future has re-emerged along with it.
The Egyptian forward was previously linked with a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad during the previous transfer window and, according to the Mirror, those threats have not subsided.
The side reportedly offered Liverpool a whopping fee of £100million for the attacker's services, but the Premier League outfit are said to have turned the offer down.
Reports now indicate that Al Ittihad are to launch another attempt to sway Liverpool and the player to move to the Middle East at the end of the season.
Saudi Pro League director Michael Emenalo last month opened up about the possibility of signing Salah, and while he acknowledged that the star may be content with life at Anfield, he expressed an eagerness to bring in a player of his quality.
“But if there is any interest to do something, Mo Salah is a player that you want in your league, in any league,” he said per Sky Sports.
The club's willingness to land the former AS Roma star were evident in the salary that had reportedly been offered to him. Al Ittihad are said to have offered the talisman a three-year contract worth a whop £65 million (R1.5 billion) per year.
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Transfer journalist David Ornstein has, however, revealed that the Egypt international still has a desire to stay at Liverpool.
“Some have suggested to me that Salah still has the appetite to continue competing at the top level of European football with Liverpool, so a departure is not certain,” Ornstein said per KingFut.
For the Premier League star, the reports could not have come at a worst time with the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations right around the corner.
Despite Egypt being the most successful team in the competition's history with seven AFCON titles, Salah is yet to taste the sweetness of continental triumph.
Any distraction would be heavily unwelcomed as his country have not gotten their hands on the title since 2010. Salah was, however, part of the teams that reached the final in 2017 and 2021 but was unfortunate enough to be on the losing side on both occasions.
This time around, the man who has netted 53 goals in 94 international appearances will be hoping that his fortunes have changed for the better.
Egypt will be hoping to shrug off their past failures when they begin their campaign with a clash against Mozambique on Sunday, 14 January before facing Ghana just four days later, and concluding their round of group fixtures with an encounter against Cape Verde on 22 January.
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