Mohamed Salah: AS Roma reject Liverpool's £28m bid for former Chelsea winger

Liverpool's opening bid of £28m ($36m) for Mohamed Salah has been rejected by AS Roma.

The 24-year-old has emerged as a transfer target for the Reds manager Jurgen Klopp. According to the Times, the Merseyside club are still in talks with the Italian outfit after their first bid was turned down.

Salah joined Roma on loan from Chelsea in the summer of 2015, six months after impressing while on loan at Fiorentina. His move to Stadio Olimpico was made permanent last summer and the Serie A outfit paid a fee of £13m ($16.7m) to the west London club.

The Egyptian international has been a key player in his side's recently concluded campaign that saw Roma finished second in the league behind Juventus. The Serie A outfit have slapped a price tag of £35m ($45.1m) for the former Chelsea winger.

Liverpool were keen on securing his services in January 2014. The Reds came close to landing him, but he snubbed advances from the Anfield club to make a switch to Stamford Bridge in that same window.

Salah struggled under Jose Mourinho at the west London club and he was allowed to leave the Blues on loan. He was the star player for his side after Edin Dzeko, scoring 15 goals and registering 10 assists in the league.

After impressing for Roma in the 2016/17 campaign, he has emerged as one of the key targets for Klopp, reports the Daily Mail. Should the Premier League side meet Salah's asking price, they are likely to land him in the summer transfer window.

In April 2016, Salah publicly revealed his admiration for Liverpool and also explained why his switch to Anfield collapsed in 2014.

"Liverpool had wanted me for a number of months. They had opened talks in October 2013, Salah explained.

"Negotiations took a long time, because Basel rejected more than one offer. They felt the transfer fee was not that high. I was waiting for Liverpool because I really like Liverpool. I was eager to join them.