Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been adamant in recent weeks: Mohamed Salah will not be sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.
After rebuffing a £150m bid for their star player in the final few hours of the English transfer deadline last week, Klopp highlighted his unwavering confidence that Salah would continue as a Liverpool player for the 2023/24 campaign, despite such a lucrative offer being on the table.
"I never had any doubt about his commitment to this club," Klopp said after Liverpool's 3-0 win against Aston Villa on Sunday. "You can't imagine how much fuss the world has made but how calm we are with it. He is our player and wants to play here."
However, that was before news emerged that Al-Ittihad are reportedly preparing a world-record £215m bid for Mohamed Salah ahead of the Saudi Arabian transfer window closing on Thursday, September 7.
Liverpool fans might not want to admit it, but selling Salah now makes perfect sense.
Why Liverpool should sell Mohamed Salah
Mo Salah has been imperious since arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2017, winning trophy after trophy and contributing countless goals to Liverpool's consistent success. It seems crazy for the Reds to even consider selling him, and yet, there's no better time to do it.
At 31 and with just two years remaining on his contract at Liverpool, there's certainly no better time to accept an offer for Salah - especially when considering it's a bid as ridiculous as £215m. Let's repeat that. Two hundred and fifteen million pounds. Put simply, that is an obscene figure, let alone for someone who is arguably past their mesmeric peak.
While he has started the new Premier League campaign as strong as ever, with two goals and two assists in four games, there's no guarantee that come the end of the 2024/25 campaign - when his contract expires - Salah will still be the same player.
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Sure, he'll maintain his incredible goalscoring ability and technical prowess, but there'll inevitably be a slight drop-off in his sharpness, losing half-a-yard of pace that has served him so well over the past six seasons.
Liverpool will have to consider, too, that Salah might not even want to stick around. In just two years time, they could lose a player for free that a club wanted to sign for £215m - surely that doesn't make any financial sense?
The lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia certainly won't stop if Liverpool refuse to sell him this summer, either. The Athletic claim that the player's camp, which has publicly spoken out against reports in the past, were not denying reports that Salah has agreed personal terms with Al-Ittihad, who are reportedly offering £1.5m-a-week.
Liverpool have benefitted from selling a star player in the past
When Liverpool accepted Barcelona's £142m offer for Philippe Coutinho in January 2018, the move seemed a business decision over a football decision. What transpired, though, is arguably one of the best transfers in modern football, with Liverpool using that money to sign Virgil Van Dijk and later Alisson.
A season later, they won the Champions League.
Now, the sale of Salah might not bear fruit in a similar way. After all, Salah has proven his undeniable value with goals and trophies with Liverpool, though that's not to diminish the achievements of Coutinho at Anfield.
However, Liverpool are clearly in a transition phase, rebuilding their aging squad with youthful, exciting players like Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai. The squad revitalisation under Klopp looks hugely promising, and the sale of Salah could enable it to become even more successful.
Granted, Liverpool won't be able to sign anyone to replace the Egyptian right-winger until at least January, but one of their versatile forwards in Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo or Darwin Nunez will certainly be able to do an adequate job there in the meantime. All four have proven they can score goals, so why not trust they'll manage the same from the right?
Plus, as Tottenham Hotspur are finding out after the sale of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, losing your most important player doesn't necessarily have to be such a negative thing.
The Kylian Mbappe factor
Sure, this seems unlikely, but Kylian Mbappe has been known to shock a few people with his decision making over the last few years.
According to French publication L'Equipe, Kylian Mbappe would seriously consider an offer made by Liverpool over the course of the next 12 months. While Real Madrid have always been perceived as Mbappe's preferred option, the report states that he is also open to the idea of moving to the Premier League as he seems set to depart PSG for free next summer.
Keeping Salah, though, could block any potential deal for the 24-year-old.
Significant funds would be necessary to land the Frenchman, despite him being available for nothing. With high wages and inevitably large signing on fee demanded, Liverpool would need to use money from the sale of Salah to support their offer for Mbappe.
Though any potential incoming would still be a season away, Liverpool likely won't challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title, while they're not even competing in the Champions League this term.
Sure, Salah's goals would be welcome in their pursuit of both, but they're arguably not essential as Liverpool seemingly set their sights on the 2024/25 campaign, considering their recent transfer business.
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Klopp has been adamant that Salah will remain despite Saudi Arabian interest, however, another bid could be just around the corner.
