Saudi chief says Mohamed Salah has 'unfinished business' at Liverpool as transfer 'trap' denied
Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo believes Mohamed Salah has resisted the lure of the lucrative competition due to having "unfinished business" at Liverpool - but refused to rule out a move for the forward next summer. The Reds turned down a £150million offer from Al-Ittihad last year for Salah, who also remained at Anfield for this season.
The 32-year-old, however, is out of contract at the end of this campaign and negotiations with Liverpool have not reached a resolution despite the player wanting to extend his commitment.
That has been sufficient to prompt renewed speculation of a bid from a Saudi Pro League side for next summer with Salah at present able to open talks with clubs from abroad in January.
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And Emenalo - who worked with Salah when technical director at Chelsea - has been asked about the possibility of the forward ending up in the Middle East.
“I think it depends on Mo," said Emenalo. "The stories that our teams went after him were true, it is true that there was an interest. But just like Victor Osimhen, it’s okay for me to have an interest in signing Mo, but the club have to have an interest in letting him go, and if those things don’t align, you don’t have a deal.
“Fundamentally, Liverpool didn’t want to sell and what price were we willing to buy at? We don't want to buy at a ridiculous amount. The most important part is if the player is ready to come. I didn’t feel the player was ready to come because he felt like he had unfinished business.
"Very few players do it, but you have to leave the club in the right way. When you are at that level and you have done things, it's important to leave the club in the right way."
Emenalo added: "Being one of my 'boys', I was never going to put any pressure on him, I didn't even speak to him during that period. I don't manage any of the (Saudi) clubs, but if the clubs decide they are interested, he is a top player. Same with Kevin De Bruyne.
"But Mo Salah is the decision maker. The player ultimately decides 'I'm ready to go' or 'I'm not ready to go'. Maybe he finds himself in a situation where he's never going to push to evacuate his contract just so he can go and play somewhere else. "
Former Liverpool players Gini Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have all moved to Saudi Arabia in recent years, while Steven Gerrard is the manager of Al Ettifaq.
Ex-Reds skipper Jordan Henderson joined Gerrard last summer but left within six months to return to Europe with Dutch side Ajax.
And Emenalo has no issue with the former England man departing. "The Jordan Henderson experience, contrary to the negative connotation attached to it, is actually a good thing because it emphasises what we kept saying which is nobody is going to be forced to stay," he said. "It's not a trap.
"We signed 97 players and one didn't settle. The second point on a personal level is that Jordan was one of the most loved people here. He was an absolute professional, a wonderful guy. He helped change some of the professional hindrances that were happening at his club and other clubs, and he stepped us as you should."
Speaking to the Obi One Podcast, Emenalo added: "They are here to express their knowledge and he did very openly to say we can do better and he forced everybody to do better. Without wanting to put words in his mouth, it was nothing to do with the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia that he left). I was very sad because I've come to like him because he was very up front, very motivated and wanted to do well.
"But there were so many things happening, family, national team, campaign activities and I felt given the age of his kids and where he had reached in his career that the safe bet for him to remain fulfilled would be go to back to Europe. That was something I personally understood and nobody at any level of authority here stood in his way."