Al Hilal are reportedly ready to hand Mohamed Salah a “lucrative contract” and the Liverpool striker has been identified as Neymar’s replacement for the Saudi giants.
Salah, as he has struggled to emphasize throughout the season, will become a free agent this summer. The Merseyside outfit has offered their star forward a new contract that clearly did not meet his requirements. Shortly after January transfer opened the window, marking the point at which Salah can sign a pre-contract with a foreign club, he insisted it would be his “last year” in Liverpool.
Clubs from all over the world followed the intriguing contract stalemate. Paris Saint-Germain they briefly emerged as leaders and Barcelona have been sniffing around the possibility of a free transfer, but Al Hilal’s interest is nothing new.
The reigning Saudi champions have reportedly submitted an offer worth as much as £150m for Salah at the end of the transfer window in the summer of 2023. A year and a half later, Al Hilal are still ready to snap up the Egyptian star, according to Sky Sports.
The Riyadh-based side are particularly keen to take advantage of Salah’s availability given Neymar’s imminent departure.
After arriving in Saudi Arabia 18 months ago for an enormous fee in excess of £77m, the Brazilian has failed to make any impact.
An ACL injury sustained during international duty last season ruled it out Neymar sidelined for 340 days and although available again, the 32-year-old will not be registered as part of Al Hilal’s professional league squad for the second half of the campaign, limiting his involvement to cup matches and the AFC Champions League.
Al Hilal are thought to be keen to bring Salah to Saudi Arabia ahead of this summer’s inaugural edition expanded World Club Championship. The Riyadh team is paired with Spanish giants Real Madrid, as well as Pachuca and RB Salzburg, in the group stage. If they get past that opening stage, Salah could potentially play in the round of 16 after his Liverpool the contract expires on June 30.
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