da brwin： Al-Ittihad are offering an insane amount of money for the 31-year-old Egyptian, but the Reds must reject all overtures for their best player

da pinnacle： Robbie Fowler only started coaching in Saudi Arabia at the end of June – but that has still proven sufficient time for him to grasp the scale and power of the country's vast wealth. "What the Saudis want, they usually get," the former Liverpool striker wrote in his column in over the weekend.

Fowler, then, will not have been at all surprised by Monday's revelation that a Saudi delegation had already arrived in England with the sole intention of convincing his old club to sell Mohamed Salah to Al-Ittihad for a fee in the region of £200 million ($250m).

Fowler knew that there was absolutely no chance of the Pro League side giving up on signing Salah – even after last Friday's first offer of £150m ($190m) had been rejected by the Reds. "I know there will be another huge bid," the Al-Qadsiah coach said, "and I know it could be one which is hard to refuse – for both the player and the club."

(C)GettyImagesAn offer too good to turn down?

There's certainly no doubt about that: the money on offer in the Middle East is so colossal that Jordan Henderson deemed it worth ruining his reputation as one of the game's few remaining good guys.

One should also remember that Liverpool took the risky decision to sell both Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabian sides this summer – even though it meant scrambling around for two replacements before the close of the transfer window – because they felt that the bids they received for two ageing midfielders were just too good to turn down. And, in fairness, they were probably right in that regard: the Henderson and Fabinho sales covered the cost of bringing in Waturu Endo and, even more significantly, Ryan Gravenberch.

Selling Salah would generate four times as much revenue, which is why some believe Liverpool would be mad to reject such an insane offer. After all, he has just turned 31 – his best years are arguably behind him. Most players, particularly wide players that rely on speed and skill, begin to decline at his age.

AdvertisementGettyIndestructible Salah and his incredible stamina

But Salah is not most players. He is no Eden Hazard. He is the consummate professional. He looks after his body better than many of his peers, and we've all seen his impressive abs because he's never been shy about ripping off his shirt to celebrate a goal.

However, it's not just about the ripped physique; there's also Salah's truly remarkable stamina and durability. The man is hardly ever injured, which is just remarkable in this hyper-intense era of football.

The game has never been quicker, the schedule never so demanding, and yet Salah has never played fewer than 48 matches in a single season for Liverpool, and never been sidelined for more than three games in a row – which is testament to his diet, healthy lifestyle, and strength and conditioning training.

There is, therefore, absolutely no reason to believe that Salah cannot continue playing at the highest level for at least another three years, so if Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is willing to invest €90m (£77m/$97m) in Neymar, the footballing equivalent of 'Mr. Glass', one could easily argue that the seemingly indestructible Salah would still be worth at least three times that figure next summer.

Getty Money no use to Liverpool right now

Indeed, the one reason why pundits believe Liverpool should take the reported £215m ($268m) is that there won't be as much on the table at the end of the season – but Salah will remain just as valuable to the PIF project. As Fowler pointed out, "There's no doubt that he's by far the most famous footballer in this part of the world and they want him to be the face of the Saudi Pro League."

In that context, Liverpool would still be in a position to demand an outrageous sum of money for an outstanding talent that will still have another year left on his contract in the summer of 2024.

Furthermore, what use is the record-breaking fee to Liverpool right now, given they wouldn't be able to sign a worthy replacement (if such a things exists) for arguably the best and most prolific right winger currently operating in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues?

Getty ImagesPremier League's most complete attacker

One could try to argue that Liverpool would still have sufficient quality in attack to cope without Salah – and there is a degree of truth in that, given the Reds have a strength in depth up front that is the envy of the world.

However, while Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez all have their attributes, their Egyptian team-mate remains the team's most dangerous attacking threat by some distance. Even during alleged dips in form, he still posts staggering numbers.

For example, Salah didn't pick up any notable individual awards last season, nor was he named in any teams of the year, and yet only Erling Haaland (61) and Kylian Mbappe (50) were involved in more goals in all competitions than Salah (46).

Whether some want to admit it or not, there is no more rounded or more consistent forward in the Premier League – and there hasn't been for some time. After Saturday's win over Aston Villa, he's now scored or assisted in his last 10 outings in England's top flight – the last player to do that? Mo Salah, in 2021. Yet his quality is inexplicably questioned by some, his greatness is taken for granted. Not at Liverpool, though, and certainly not by Klopp.