Liverpool warned Mohamed Salah is 'flirting with the Saudis' amid talk Al-Ittihad will make fresh £200m bid

Graeme Souness has warned Liverpool that star man Mohamed Salah is tempted to leave the club and head to the Middle East.

Liverpool have rejected £150m bid
Warned fresh approach could be made
Souness believes Salah could leave

WHAT HAPPENED? Salah has received interest from the Saudi Pro League this summer, with Al-Ittihad having reportedly had a mega-bid of £150 million ($188m) turned down by the Reds. The Saudi side have been tipped to return with a world-record £200m ($252m) offer before the transfer window in the Middle East closes on September 7, and Souness feels that the Egypt international is still thinking about a move.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Make no mistake, Salah is flirting with the Saudis. Neither he nor one of his representatives has come out and categorically said: 'We do not want to go to Saudi Arabia at this time”. If he wanted to stay, someone could have issued a statement to that effect'," he wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. "He is toying with the idea, at the very least, and I think, deep down, he will feel he should go."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has played down talk of a move for Salah on several occasions this season and made it clear he is confident his star forward will stay. Yet Souness fears he could still lose Salah before the window closes in Saudi Arabia.

"I have to say I fear Liverpool will lose Mo Salah to Saudi Arabia. I really think he’ll go for it in the six days between now and the Saudi transfer window closing," he added. "He’s an Egyptian and a Muslim who would be going to the birthplace of Islam and to a country which has a maritime border with his own. Let’s also remember he has moved around a lot, with six clubs in 13 years, and has been at Anfield for six years — not man and boy. I suspect he’s thinking: 'I’ve won the league. I’ve won the Champions League. I’ve done my bit'."

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