Jorg Schmadtke has claimed that a move to the Saudi Pro League for Mo Salah next year can’t be ruled out.
The German only spent eight months as Liverpool’s sporting director, but it was during his time in the post that the Reds received a gargantuan £150m offer for the Egyptian from Al-Ittihad, which was promptly rejected in the final hours of the summer 2023 transfer window.
Rumours persist of a potential switch to the Middle East for the 32-year-old, whose contract at Anfield expires next June, with no sign of an extension being agreed on Merseyside as of yet.
Schmadtke not ruling out Saudi move for Salah
Speaking to Saudi Arabian outlet Al-Eqtisadiah, Schmadtke voiced his belief that Salah moving to the Saudi Pro League in the next months is plausible due to the enormous investment in the division over the past couple of years.
The 60-year-old said of that scenario: “I don’t know, but it is entirely possible that this will happen…The Saudi League is developing every year, due to more money being invested in the competition.”
The German added that he’d be open to moving to the Middle East himself if he were to ‘receive a good offer’.
Get it sorted, Liverpool!
For as long as Salah’s contract at Liverpool remains in its current state, speculation over his future will continue to lurk like an unwelcome plague of wasps. If a new deal isn’t agreed in the next two months, prospective suitors would then be able to approach him about a pre-contract move.
Richard Hughes and FSG simply can’t let that happen. There’s still time to ensure that such an undesirable scenario is staved off, but that window is narrowing with each passing day. It’s already been nine weeks since the summer transfer market shut, so fans might justifiably ask why the matter hasn’t been resolved yet.
The Egyptian might be 33 next June and earning £350,000 per week at the moment, but so long as he’s continuing to find the net regularly and come up with big goals such as the late equaliser against Arsenal last Sunday, it’d be madness not to fight tooth and nail to keep him at Anfield.
Schmadtke’s prediction can’t be discounted until such time that Salah signs a new deal at Liverpool. We continue to live in hope that he’ll put our nerves at ease and stay on with the Reds for the 2025/26 season at a minimum.
