‘Unfinished business…’ – Michael Emenalo admits Saudi clubs ‘went after’ Liverpool stalwart

Michael Emenalo has admitted that there was truth to reports that Saudi Arabian clubs tried to sign one high-profile Liverpool star, and he hasn’t shut the door on the possibility of renewed attempts.

At the end of the summer 2023 transfer window, weeks of rumours came to a head when Al-Ittihad submitted a £150m offer for Mo Salah which the Reds swiftly rejected (The Guardian).

Emenalo on Saudi attempts to sign Salah

Former Chelsea director of football Emenalo – who’s now a director of the Saudi Pro League – appeared on the latest episode of The Obi One Podcast with ex-Blues midfielder Jon Obi Mikel when he was asked about the chances of the Egyptian forward transferring to the Middle East.

The 59-year-old replied: “I think it depends on Mo. The stories that our teams went after him was true. It is true, there was an interest, but just like [Victor] Osimhen, it’s OK for me to have an interest in signing Mo; but the club have to have an interest in letting him go, and if those things don’t align, you don’t have a deal.

“Fundamentally, Liverpool didn’t want to sell and what price were we willing to buy at? I didn’t feel the player was ready to come because he felt like he had unfinished business.”

Thankfully Liverpool held firm

When the Saudi Pro League went on a major transfer offensive last year which saw Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Bobby Firmino, Sadio Mane and Gini Wijnaldum all move to the Middle East (among many others), there seemed a real likelihood that Salah would follow suit.

Thankfully that didn’t happen as neither he nor Liverpool seemed willing to succumb to Emenalo’s wishes, but with the 32-year-old rapidly approaching the end of his contract at Anfield, we can’t discount the possibility of him making a similar move in 2025 amid ongoing speculation over his future.

Our number 11 might wish to relocate closer to home and spend a year or two in Saudi Arabia further down the line, but while he’s continuing to produce the goods for the Reds and push himself even higher in the club’s all-time scoring charts, there seems no real reason for him to leave Europe as of yet.

If Emenalo didn’t initially realise how challenging it’d be to try and land one of the world’s top players in Salah, he certainly does now!