Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad have renewed their interest in Mohamed Salah and are prepared to offer the Egyptian star a huge contract to make the move, although Liverpool are reportedly reluctant to sell their star player this summer.
Ittihad, who have signed Salah's former Liverpool teammate Fabinho as well as superstar striker Karim Benzema and World Cup-winning midfielder N'Golo Kante, had earlier identified Salah as a top target but it was understood that a deal was more likely to materialise next summer.
However, the Jeddah giants are reportedly determined to sign the 31-year-old Egypt international before the end of the transfer window, and having previously prepared a two-year contract understood to be worth €180 million, are ready to double that offer to tempt Salah into the move.
Ittihad believe a transfer fee of £52m ($65m) is a sensible bid to bring Liverpool to the negotiating table, although various reports claim the Reds have no intention of letting Salah leave.
Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, had earlier this month dismissed speculation his client was close to leaving Liverpool for Saudi, posting on social media: “If we considered leaving [Liverpool] this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer,” Issa wrote. “Mohamed remains committed to LFC.”
Salah signed a new three-year deal last summer, meaning he still has two years left on his contract and ensures Liverpool are not under immediate pressure to sell unless the Egyptian attempts to force the move. There has been no indication, throughout Ittihad's sustained interest, that Salah is angling to leave Anfield.
Should Salah indicate that he will not extend his Liverpool deal, then next summer will be the club's last chance to secure a transfer fee for him.
If Ittihad were to get a deal for Salah over the line, it would be one of the most impactful transfers in Saudi football history. Salah is the biggest Arab football star in the world and would continue to raise the profile and interest in the Saudi Pro League among Arab and global football fans.
Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, who alongside Salah formed a fearsome attack which fired Liverpool to the Premier League and Champions League titles, are already in Saudi having secured moves to Al Ahli and Al Nassr respectively.
Brazilian forward Firmino is part of a new-look Ahli side which also features Algerian star Riyad Mahrez, French winger Allan Saint-Maximin, defenders Roger Ibanez and Merih Demiral, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and midfielder Franck Kessie.
Mane, meanwhile, joined a Nassr team led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to Saudi in January. The Riyadh club have also secured deals for defender Aymeric Laporte from Manchester City, winger Otavio, full-back Alex Telles, and midfielders Seko Fofana and Marcelo Brozovic.
Ittihad, Nassr and Ahli are three of four major Saudi clubs to have been taken over by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has provided significant financial support to transform the Saudi Pro League and attract some of football's biggest names.
The fourth club, Al Hilal, have also taken full advantage of their new spending power, breaking the league transfer record three times this summer, including the recent €90m deal for Brazilian star Neymar.
All the major Saudi Pro League transfers
The four-time Asian champions have also signed midfielder Ruben Neves, winger Malcom, striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Elsewhere, Steven Gerrard was appointed Al Ettifaq manager and made former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson his key signing.
While Saudi clubs have enjoyed a successful transfer window, the same could not be said for Liverpool. Following the exits of Henderson and Fabinho, the Reds have been left short of midfielders and were twice beaten to key midfield targets, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, by rivals Chelsea.
Since joining Liverpool from Roma in 2017, Salah has been Liverpool's best player and one of the greatest in the club's history. He has scored 187 goals in 307 appearances and has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
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ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE FIXTURES
Thursday, September 21
Al Dahfra v Sharjah (kick-off 5.35pm)
Al Wasl v Emirates (8.30pm)
Friday, September 22
Dibba v Al Jazira (5.25pm)
Al Nasr v Al Wahda (8.30pm)
Saturday, September 23
Hatta v Al Ain (5.25pm)
Ajman v Shabab Al Ahli (8.30pm)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
SCHEDULE
December 8: UAE v USA (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)
December 9: USA v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)
December 11: UAE v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)
December 12: UAE v USA (ICC Academy Oval 1)
December 14: USA v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1)
December 15: UAE v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1)
All matches start at 10am
