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Football

02nd Sep 2023

Karim Benzema sends warning to Mo Salah over Al Ittihad transfer

Callum Boyle

Mo Salah Al Ittihad

Liverpool rejected a £150m bid from Al Ittihad for Mo Salah

Karim Benzema has sent a warning to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah about any potential moves to Saudi Arabia.

Al Ittihad – the club Benzema plays for – made a £150m offer for the Egyptian on deadline day which was swiftly rejected by Liverpool.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side aren’t giving up hope though and are reportedly preparing a £200m world record bid to persuade the forward’s to make the move to the Middle East.

An attacking line up of Benzema and Salah would be one of the strongest in world football however the Liverpool talisman may reconsider a move after reports last month suggested that the former Real Madrid man was unhappy at the club.

Mo Salah Al Ittihad

Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat claimed that tensions had arisen between Benzema and his manager after the former Wolves and Spurs boss turning down his request to become club captain. Santo was also apparently not in favour of the decision to sign the 35-year-old.

Another arrival, Jota, has also had similar problems since joining from Celtic.

Back in August, Saudi journalist Waleed Al Farraj reported that the club’s hierarchy wanted to get rid of the Portuguese winger, only a month after signing him, as he didn’t fit the mould of the team.

He said: “I heard that Jota will not continue with the team,” said Farraj. “Yes, the club paid €30 million for him, but the club found that he does not serve the team at the moment.

“Ittihad’s interests come first. I am happy to have Karim Benzema in the centre-forward position, but he lacks playing alongside world-class attacking wingers. But in that way, absolutely not.”

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