Saudi Pro League identify new signing that could be even more important than Cristiano Ronaldo transfer: Reports
Saudi Pro League are reportedly eyeing Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and see him as a bigger signing than Cristiano Ronaldo. They want the Egyptian star to make the move soon and are ready to make the bid again.
As per the Daily Mail, the Middle Eastern league see the former Chelsea star as a bigger draw than Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr last January. The Portuguese star's move saw the popularity of the league skyrocket. It also attracted other players from the European leagues, like Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, and Neymar, to follow him to the Middle East.
Despite the big names moving to the country, the Saudi government is pushing for more. Their main aim next is reported to be Salah, who is open to joining once the season is done with his contract Liverpool. Al Ittihad made a bid to sign the Egyptian last summer, but the Reds rejected it on deadline day.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr was a free transfer after his contract was terminated by Manchester United last year. Al Hilal reportedly made a €300 million bid for Kylian Mbappe, while Liverpool rejected an approximate €173 million bid for Salah from Al Ittihad.
Mohamed Salah is welcome to join Saudi Pro League like Cristiano Ronaldo, claims Michael Emenalo
Saudi Pro League Director of Football, Michael Emenalo, has opened the doors for Mohamed Salah to join a club in their league like Cristiano Ronaldo. He has also left an open invitation to Kevin De Bruyne to make the move if he is interested.
The former Chelsea Technical Director said that he worked on getting Salah to Stamford Bridge and will be happy to work on getting him to Saudi Arabia too. He told Sky Sports:
"Mo Salah, like [Lionel] Messi, [Karim] Benzema, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, these are players that when there is a sense of availability for them, we are willing to listen.
"But we also understand that Mo is happy where he is at present and in a historic, wonderful club at Liverpool. We respect that very much and we don't want to come across as putting any pressure on him. But if there is any interest to do something, Mo Salah is a player that you want in your league, in any league."
Emenalo added that they respect Liverpool but it would be amazing to bring a player like Salah to the Saudi Pro League, saying:
"We respect Liverpool and in this scenario, the initiative to do anything won't come from us. There has to be an aligned interest from all parties involved. It's a very personal thing, as a player that I recruited [for Chelsea] and I like.
"There's nothing I'm saying that is new or ground-breaking - that a player of this level of talent is available and your league wants him. If Mo Salah is available, has an interest to come and everything is aligned, I would be incredibly delighted."
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a key figure in the Saudi Pro League. However, the attendance in the stadium has not reached the heights they aimed for in the league matches.