Saudi Arabia targets Liverpool star Mohamed Salah

Liverpool FC will need to find a way to fend off another "attack" from Saudi Arabia which may end up with them losing star striker Mohamed Salah. According to the latest reports coming form the Middle East, Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad are preparing a £60 million offer for the Egyptian player.

For those unaware, Al-Ittihad are the reigning Saudi Pro League champions and they have recently triggered an avalanche of big-name signings after they managed to convince Karim Benzema to leave Real Madrid.

Apart from the Ballon d'Or holder, Al-Ittihad also recently signed N'Golo Kante and Jota this summer. If Salah accepts the offer, he will be joining former Liverpool teammate Fabinho, who joined the club last week.

The Reds also lost their captain Jordan Henderson to another Saudi Club, Al-Ettifaq, earlier this summer.

The Saudi Pro League has been on a roll, and they have been hijacking a number of European clubs since the gates were initially opened by Cristiano Ronaldo's move to join Al-Nassr in January. It comes as no surprise that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has urged UEFA and FIFA to take action against the growing threat that is being posed by Saudi Arabia to European football.

Mohamed Salah is the latest Saudi target

Saudi television station Al-Riyadiah was the first to break the news that Al-Ittihad are interested in the Egyptian star. Not only that, club representatives are said to already be in talks with the player's camp and a move could be completed this summer.

Salah is still under contract with Liverpool after signing a three-year extension last summer. He currently earns £350,000 per week at Anfield, but Al-Ittihad can convince him to leave with a two-year deal worth €180 million (£155m). Liverpool, meanwhile, will be offered a £60 million transfer fee.

Al-Riyadiah quoted a source saying: 'It is true. There are negotiations between Mohamed Salah and the Saudi club Al-Ittihad. The offer must be attractive for the Egyptian star to come to play in Saudi Arabia. Salah still has a lot to offer in England."

Salah is an integral part of the Liverpool squad, having scored 30 goals in 51 appearances last season. However, he is now over 30 and he may be thinking about securing his future. Klopp may end up losing several pillars of his squad this summer if the deal pushes through, meaning Liverpool will be in for a major overhaul if they want to compete for trophies this season.

Liverpool may decide to renegotiate the player's contract if they feel that he is worth enough to try to match the offer from Saudi Arabia. They may make an extra effort to keep Salah, especially after already losing a number of important stars.

Players like Salah will surely put into consideration that the Premier League is still one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, but the fact that the Reds only finished fifth last season and won't be playing in the Champions League will not help their case in convincing the player to stay.

Not only that, the arrivals of so many big-name stars from Europe this summer has elevated the position of the Saudi Pro League on the world stage, and it is no longer seen as a "retirement destination" for washed-out European players.

It remains to be seen if Liverpool will be able to stop the deal from happening and if FIFA or UEFA will take action to prevent Saudi Arabian clubs from offering massive contracts that European clubs can't match due to their strict Financial Fair Play regulations. The transfer climate has gone nearly out of control this summer with PSG striker Kylian Mbappe said to have been offered a $1.1 billion deal by Al-Hilal for only one season.