“You are kidding me”- Jurgen Klopp reacts to question about Al-Ittihad’s interest in Liverpool star

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp responds to a reporter’s question about Mohamed Salah’s move ahead of the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has slammed a reporter for asking a question about Al-Ittihad’s interest in Mohamed Salah.

The German manager acknowledged that he is unconcerned about Saudi Arabia renewing their interest in the Egyptian winger when the January transfer market opens. Just before the Premier League transfer deadline on September 1, the wealthy Middle Eastern club made a £200 million proposal for the 31-year-old.

The Reds rejected down the deal, but Michael Emenalo, the Saudi Pro League’s director of football, has stated that a future move for the African star is still possible.

While Klopp is determined to keep Salah, there are rumors of a massive bid from Al-Ittihad in January as the Saudi league seeks another high-profile star to join Neymar, Karim Benzema, and N’Golo Kante.

The manager had thought that the matter would be settled when the Saudi transfer window closed on September 7, but it remains difficult. Despite the continuous rumours, the former AS Roma forward has continued to produce effectively this season, scoring two goals and contributing two assists.

However, when asked about Salah’s future in his pre-match news conference ahead of Saturday’s encounter against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Klopp did not appear thrilled. According to the Daily Express (through transfer expert Fabrizio Romano), he stated:

“Are you kidding me?” You ask me about the January transfer window a week after it closed? You can’t wait till the end of the year to ask these questions? I’m not concerned about [Salah’s] future, and I wasn’t until you reopened the wound. “I’m not concerned.”

Liverpool has already lost midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson this summer to Al-Ittihad and El-Ettifaq, respectively. In addition, once his contract at Anfield expired, Roberto Firmino relocated to Al-Ahli.

Meanwhile, Salah was the final player in the current Reds squad to be connected with a move abroad, and fans felt that if the club did not intercede, the move would go ahead. The African international’s contract with Liverpool will expire in June 2025.

The winger, who joined the club from Roma in 2017, has scored 187 goals in 305 outings for the English giants. He is now the club’s fifth-highest scorer, having surpassed the legendary Steven Gerrard in the rankings with his latest goal against Bournemouth.

Salah is a crucial player for Klopp, and his statistics speak for themselves. Although the Saud Pro League is willing to spend a lot of money to get their desired player, money is not always the best answer for every club.

Liverpool was wise enough not to entertain such an offer because they had no plans to part ways with their treasured asset. The African boss is still scoring ridiculous goals for his team and is regularly involved in goal-scoring opportunities.

 

He is a role model for the team’s younger players, and finding a successor for the former Serie A star would be difficult. Allowing a player to depart abruptly at this point in the transfer window will only make problems worse for the club, as they will be without a top-tier right-winger in their team.