Liverpool have been told to add another £10million onto their bid
to land Mohamed Salah — or forget it.
The Reds have resurrected talks with the winger’s club, Roma, after having an initial bid of more than £26m turned down.
But on Wednesday, as negotiations intensified and were confirmed by their sporting director Monchi, Liverpool were warned that “Roma is not a supermarket” and the Italians will set the price.
We understand that the price is around £35.5m — and the Premier League side will be told it is a take-it-or-leave-it deal for the Egypt international, who has been identified by Jurgen Klopp as the pacy wideman his system needs.
Monchi was adamant his club would also not be selling defender Antonio Rudiger.
And they are in the driving seat when it comes to dictating a price for Salah — though Monchi did concede they will sell when the bidding reaches their valuation of the player.
“It is true that there is a bid for Salah from an English club, but the price is made by Roma, so we will decide, depending on the circumstances,” he said.
“Roma does not want to sell players, Roma wants to build the best team for our goals — we are not a supermarket. Only for Salah is there a deal. Rudiger will not leave, there is zero chance.”
Roma, though, have issues relating to Financial Fair Play rules and must raise around 40m euros by the end of June.
That could see them accept a bid of £31m, with £5.5m in add-ons.
Liverpool know there are no rival offers for Salah at the moment and will not rush to increase their bid.
The 24-year-old, who had a brief, ill-fated spell at Chelsea, has told Roma that he wants a move to Anfield, and his fellow Egypt international Mido insisted earlier this week that the deal will be pushed through.
“Salah will definitely move to Liverpool, it’s just a matter of time - Liverpool’s style suits him perfectly,” said Mido. “But I fear for him coping with the tempo of the Premier League.”
Liverpool are considering alternatives, with Sporting winger Gelson Martins an option.
But the ex-Chelsea man remains their top target with a deal around £90,000-a-week thought to have been agreed.
Source: Daily Mirror
Image credits to AFP.
This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club or Red's Fury™ blog.