Son Heung-min emerges as alternative in Mohamed Salah transfer plan

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is expected to stay at Anfield this summer even though his contract is set to expire in a year's time. And as a result, another Premier League forward could be targeted for a big money move to Saudi Arabia instead.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad could target Son Heung-min if it fails to sign Salah over the next few weeks, according to TEAMtalk. Though it is no surprise that the Egyptian looks set to attract more interest from the Middle East, the expectation is that he will remain on Merseyside to work under new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.

Al-Ittihad failed with a $190m (£150m/€177m) bid last year which Liverpool dismissed out of hand. A year on, Salah remains of huge importance for the Reds having scored 25 goals last season. While he was frustrated at times during the last campaign, the Egyptian still has plenty to offer at the top level.

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Should Salah show no indication of wanting a move to Al Ittihad, as expected, the Saudi side could turn its attention to Spurs captain Son, although no contact with the North London side has been made yet. He would be another big name for the region to bring in after the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.

It remains to be seen whether or not Son, who is a very similar age to Salah, would be interested in a move, though. The South Korean scored 17 goals and assisted another 10 under Ange Postecoglou last season and took the armband when Harry Kane moved to Bayern Munich.

Liverpool.com says: It would be a major surprise if Salah was interested in a move to the Saudi Pro League at the moment. It could be tempting to cash in later in his career but to miss out on playing in the Champions League again purely for the money would be a strange decision.

From a Liverpool point of view, Salah has to be a priority this summer in terms of tying him down to a new deal. Like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, he still has a lot to give at Anfield. While Salah might not be as explosive as he once was, he remains the most potent attacker that Slot will inherit when he gets to work in Kirkby.