Liverpool fans will be praying that a social media post from Jan Aage Fjortoft on Wednesday morning proves wide of the mark.
In a summer which has seen several former Reds players move to the Saudi Pro League, Al-Ittihad are hoping to lure a current Anfield star in Mo Salah to the Middle East, despite Jurgen Klopp’s insistence that such a move won’t happen.
However, an 11-word claim from Fjortoft on Twitter/X may have sent a shiver up every Kopite’s spine over breakfast this morning.
The Norwegian stated: “I understand it’s likely that Salah will leave Liverpool this week.”
I understand it’s likely that Salah will leave Liverpool this week
— Jan Aage Fjørtoft 🏳️🌈 🇳🇴 💛💙 (@JanAageFjortoft) August 30, 2023
The closing days of a transfer window will inevitably be prime season for plenty of conjecture over potential comings and goings, some of which could be nothing more than hot air.
However, given that Fjortoft was among the first to report of Liverpool making an official bid for Jude Bellingham earlier this year, for him to claim that Salah could depart in the next few days is a worry.
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The power of the Saudi Pro League in world football currently has been laid bare by an extraordinary summer which has seen a plethora of big names and even up-and-coming prospects leave Europe for the Middle East.
The Reds have already been burnt by that trend, with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho flocking to the Gulf nation, but to lose the Egyptian superstar would be an unthinkably monumental blow to Klopp’s squad, especially with realistically no time to bring in an adequate replacement.
We live in hope that Liverpool’s powerbrokers will be resilient enough to withstand any potential bids from Al-Ittihad for Salah, no matter how vast they may be, and that the player himself won’t be tempted by the riches on offer for now at least.