Liverpool reject £150m Saudi bid for Salah on hectic transfer deadline day

Liverpool turned down a £150 million offer from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.for Mohamed Salah in the hectic final hours before Friday’s transfer deadline.

The 2200 GMT (2:00 AM UAE) deadline was expected to bring a last flurry of signings as Premier League teams fine-tune their squads for the season ahead.

Salah, who joined the Reds from Italian side Roma in 2017, signed a new three-year contract last summer.

Last week Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that Salah was “100% committed” to the Anfield cause, and on Friday he reiterated the club’s stance that the player was not for sale.

“The position remains the same. Absolutely no doubt about that. That’s how it is. Nothing else to say,” said Klopp.

Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa also rubbished talk of the Egyptian star’s move to Saudi Arabia but although he has remained silent on the latest rumours related to Al-Ittihad.

“Mohamed remains committed to Liverpool,” Issa wrote in a social media post on 7 August.

“If we considered leaving Liverpool this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer.”

Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad can still be able to sign more players as the Saudi Pro League transfer window deadline closes on 7 September.

Liverpool have already felt the effects of the lavish sums on offer to players in Saudi as captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho left earlier in the window.

Meanwhile, English top-flight clubs have already set a new record for spending on new players during this window, with the total set to surpass £2 billion according to financial experts Deloitte.

City also cashed in on Cole Palmer for an initial £40 million that takes Chelsea’s spending on new players in just over a year under the club’s American ownership beyond £1 billion.

Palmer agreed a seven-year contract with Chelsea, who could pay City an extra £2.5 million in add-on clauses.

The 21-year-old scored in both the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup last month as Riyad Mahrez’s exit looked to have opened the door to more first-team opportunities at City.

But Palmer, who helped England win the Under-21 European Championship this year, said he had been convinced by Chelsea’s plan to invest heavily in young players.

“I’m excited to get started and it feels great to sign” Palmer said.

“I’ve joined Chelsea because the project here sounds good and because of the platform I will have to try to showcase my talents. It is a young and hungry squad and, hopefully, we can do something special here.”

Ryan Gravenberch looks set to join Liverpool from Bayern Munich in a £35 million deal later on deadline day to complete a midfield overhaul.

Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister and Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai were signed earlier in the window to replace Henderson and Fabinho, as well as the departed James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Manchester United signed goalkeeper Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce in a deal worth a reported £4.3 million.

Bayindir, who becomes the first Turk to play for the Red Devils, will serve as cover for Andre Onana following Dean Henderson’s move to Crystal Palace this week.

United are also set to make a loan move for Tottenham left-back Sergio Reguilon.

Spurs are closing in on Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson for a fee rising to £45 million.

Brighton landed a major coup by signing Spanish international winger Ansu Fati on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona.

Fati was regarded as one of the most promising talents in Europe when he burst onto the scene four years ago before injuries have halted his progress.

“This is a great deal for all of us. I am sure Ansu will help us to reach a new target and we can help him get back to the level he deserves to be” said Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said.