Liverpool transfer news: £35m Mohamed Salah deal finally agreed
Forward will have a medical this week and could be unveiled as a Liverpool player by the end of the week
A deal has been agreed "in principle" between Roma and Liverpool for Mohamed Salah, reports Sky Sports, with the Reds ready to hand over £35m in return for the 25-year-old Egyptian ace.
Liverpool have been involved in arduous negotiations with Roma despite having agreed personal terms with Salah, and their initial bid of £28m was rejected earlier the month. But Salah never stopped believing a deal would be worked out and Sky Sports says that he and Jurgen Klopp kept in contact as the Liverpool gaffer discussed the move with Roma.
A second bid of £35m has now been accepted by the Serie A side and according to The Guardian the Reds "expect to sign Mohamed Salah before the end of the week".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The winger will have a medical on Merseyside today and, as the paper says, the transfer caps a lengthy courtship of Salah by Liverpool. They tried to sign him in 2014 when he was with Swiss club Basel but lost out to Chelsea. Life didn't work out well at Stamford Bridge and Salah left for Fiorentina on loan in 2015 before moving to Roma. Now he's back in England and the Liverpool Echo says he will wear the number nine shirt over the course of his five year contract with the Reds.
In other news, website Goal.com says that Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham are all "showing an interest" in Luan, the 24-year-old Brazilian who is regarded as one of the most promising talents in South America.
Currently with Gremio, Luan was a member of Brazil's gold-medal winning side at last year's Olympics and Goal.com says the attacking midfielder will be sold by his club this summer to whichever club tables the biggest bid.
Liverpool transfer news: £35.5m Salah deal inches closer
16 June
The agent of Mohamed Salah is in London and according to the Daily Mirror he's here to help his client "finalise a move to Liverpool in the next few days".
It's believed that the Reds have already agreed personal terms with the Roma winger but the two clubs have yet to find common ground on a transfer fee, and the Merseyside club may be forced to break their transfer record and pay more than the £34m they forked out for Sadio Mane last season.
Salah's agent Ramy Abbas has now arrived in the country and he "fuelled speculation that the move could be close to completion" by posting a picture of himself driving through the streets of the capital.
Although there was no sign of Jurgen Klopp in the stunning photograph, the Mirror claims that the Liverpool boss "sees Salah as the ideal player" and is itching to bring the Egypt international to Anfield. For that to happen Liverpool will have to increase their initial bid of £26m to one in the region of £35.5m, which is what Roma believe Salah is worth.
Meanwhile the Mirror also says that Liverpool face a fight with Tottenham for the hand of Lazio forward Keita Balde. The 22-year, who scored 18 goals and claimed six assists in 34 Serie A appearances last season, is on Klopp's radar but the Mirror says that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has added Balde to his summer shopping list because he sees his pace as a valuable asset.
The bad news for the Kop is that while Balde is refusing to sign a new deal with Lazio, that's because he's "holding out for a move to Juventus", although it's by no means clear if the Italian champions are interested. If they aren't, then a move to England is a possibility with Liverpool and Tottenham set to slug it out over the summer.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'The Hum': the real-life noise behind The Listeners
In The Spotlight Can some of us also hear the disturbing sound that plagues characters in the hit TV show – and where is it coming from?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are we any closer to identifying UFOs?
Podcast Plus, will deals with Tunisia and Kurdistan help Labour? And what next for the Wagner Group?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 - 22 November
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Has Liverpool been weakened by Jürgen Klopp’s ‘seven-year itch’?
feature After seven years at Anfield, critics are wondering whether his magic is wearing off
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League all-star game: ‘incredibly arrogant’ or natural ‘evolution’?
Talking Point Managers and pundits dismiss US-inspired idea from Chelsea co-owner
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Who is Darwin Nunez? The ‘modern striker’ signing for Liverpool
Why Everyone’s Talking About Portuguese club Benfica confirm a deal for the Uruguay international worth up to €100m
By Mike Starling Published
-
Uefa Champions League final: blame game begins for chaos in Paris
feature Liverpool call for an investigation as Uefa are accused of a ‘narrative of lies’
By Mike Starling Published
-
2022 Uefa Champions League final: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid preview, predictions and TV
feature Everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s showpiece in Paris
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
2022 FA Cup final: Chelsea vs. Liverpool preview, predictions, kick-off time and TV coverage
feature Premier League rivals go head-to-head in another Wembley final
By Mike Starling Published