Michael Owen says ‘deep down’ Liverpool owners FSG want to sell Mohamed Salah amid rumours that he could join Saudi Arabia side, Al-Ittihad.
Will Salah make Al-Ittihad move?
The Saudi Pro League transfer window is still open and Al-Ittihad are trying everything they can to sign Mohamed Salah, with Owen admitting that he ‘isn’t convinced’ Liverpool’s star man will stay.
The former striker added that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are ‘under pressure’ from the Liverpool supporters and it wouldn’t be a good look if they allowed Salah to leave now, as he told Premier League Productions (03/09/23 at 1:20 pm).
As of this moment, a £150 million transfer offer seems to have been rejected by the Reds for the 31-year-old, but it seems as though they will still go in with another offer, according to Sky Sports.
This isn’t helpful for Jurgen Klopp because the summer transfer window in England is closed and his team have made a strong start, the last thing he needs is such a powerful figure leaving.
But, like Liverpool did with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, money talks, so if a transfer fee of over £200 million is put on the table for Salah, then it will be interesting to see how the powers that be at Anfield react.
“I am not convinced that he definitely will be (at Liverpool beyond Saudi window closing),” said Owen. “We saw just a couple of games ago throwing a bit of a strop when coming off at Stamford Bridge. I don’t think he enjoyed that, at all.
“I don’t know if Mo Salah would want to leave, obviously it will be lucrative for him. But he is a very wealthy man, anyway. From Liverpool’s point of view, the main thing from them is that even if there was a tempting offer, let’s say £200 million came in as an offer, for a 31-year-old, it’s a very tempting offer.
“The problem is that FSG are on the back foot, at the minute, the fans aren’t so happy with the ownership. If they go and sell one of their best players, then I think they might come under a bit of pressure. It will be an interesting one. I think deep down they will be thinking ‘wow, that’s too good to turn down’.
“But where else are you going to find those goals? You can search long and hard, spend £100 million on someone, it doesn’t guarantee the goals that he consistently delivers, so it’s a very tricky one.”
Liverpool fans and FSG
The relationship between the owners and the supporters of the club is mixed, with many frustrated and annoyed that they don’t back Klopp enough.
From the work FSG have done inside Anfield, the new training ground and keeping the club in a stable financial state, they can’t argue.
But for what Klopp has done for Liverpool, including ending their 30-year wait for a title, many think he has deserved more backing in the transfer market.
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