Saudi Arabia says it will do “whatever it can” to recruit unsettled Liverpool star Mohamed Salah during the winter transfer window, a source at the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) told AFP on Tuesday.
“We follow Salah’s position thoroughly and believe there can be a move either by loan or buying his contract,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, referring to the standoff between the Egyptian and Liverpool.

“There is still no direct negotiations or talks with the club at the moment but there will be a move at the right moment”

The PIF source said the wealthy Gulf monarchy wanted to sign the Egyptian winger in January during the next transfer window to join stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.

PIF holds a 75 per cent share in Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad, but the source said it was not alone in wanting the Arab world’s biggest football star.

“There is a competition inside the Saudi league who will bring Salah,” the source said adding that a club affiliated with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company was keen. “Aramco’s Al Qadsiah has shown an interest too. So it’s not only the PIF affiliated clubs”

Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr, Salah’s former Liverpool team-mate Darwin Nunez is at Al-Hillal, another former Premier League player of the season N’Golo Kante is at Al-Ittihad but Salah is the biggest football star from an Arab country.

Salah said after he was an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw with Leeds on Sunday that he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and no longer had a relationship with manager Arne Slot.

The 33-year-old Egypt forward was then left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League tie at Inter Milan on Tuesday.

Salah has played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph during his iconic spell on Merseyside. He signed a contract extension in April as he led Liverpool to the title.

Salah is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend’s home match against Brighton in the Premier League.

He hinted the Brighton game could be his last with the Reds before leaving during the winter transfer window.

In 2024-25, Salah scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists last season but he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season the title-holders are 10th in the table with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.

“All players have their ups and downs. Salah is just 33 and has a lot to do here,” said the PIF source.

“Salah is a beloved footballer around the globe and will have a massive impact on the Saudi League both on and off the pitch.”

The Saudi Pro League is ready to bankroll a move for Mohamed Salah if the Liverpool forward indicates he’s open to leaving Anfield.
Salah, 33, has been benched for Liverpool’s last two Premier League matches under manager Arne Slot. While his omission has raised eyebrows, club captain Virgil van Dijk was blunt: “It’s not like you have unlimited credit.”

Salah was previously the subject of a £150 million bid from Ittihad Jeddah in 2023, and also held discussions with the Saudi Pro League over a potential free transfer last summer.

He later confirmed the talks, “My relations with SPL officials are very good, we talked a lot and the negotiations were serious. It was a good opportunity to me, if I hadn’t renewed with Liverpool it would have happened.”

However, rumors have now resurfaced. Sources close to the SPL suggest they remain open to reigniting interest, particularly given Salah’s image, popularity, and profile.

Although Saudi clubs have scaled back their heavy spending spree of 2022, when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, the door remains open for marquee signings that align with the league’s ambitions, especially as the country eyes the 2034 World Cup.

Salah, Liverpool’s top scorer since the formation of the Premier League in 1992 with 190 goals, has endured a slower start to this season with just five goals in all competitions. Slot has confirmed Salah is “not happy” with being dropped.

“He is still a fantastic player,” said Van Dijk. “We have to remember there’s a reason why he’s been so successful at the club and we have to respect that. He’s disappointed, but that’s absolutely normal. If you’re not disappointed when you don’t play two games in a row, then there is an issue.”

Athletic Bilbao will sign Aymeric Laporte after world football governing body FIFA changed their stance on Thursday.

The Basque side tried to bring in the Spanish defender from Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on September 1 but the move was not completed before the transfer deadline.

FIFA last week rejected a request from the Spanish football federation (RFEF) to make an exception for Laporte’s move, but Athletic said the RFEF request has now been granted after they sought to overturn the decision.

Spanish media said Al-Nassr had not filled in the details of the transfer online into FIFA’s Transfer Matching System.

“Athletic Club would like to report that FIFA has authorised the RFEF to obtain the International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from the Saudi Arabian football federation,” said Athletic in a statement.

“Once the ITC is issued, Aymeric Laporte can be registered with Athletic Club.”

Laporte, 31, left Athletic for Manchester City in 2018 before joining Al-Nassr in 2023.

Portuguese forward Joao Felix has signed a two-year deal with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, where he will join Cristiano Ronaldo, the club announced Tuesday.

Felix, now 25, made a blockbuster move from Benfica to Atletico Madrid in 2019, but has since seen his fortunes decline.

“I’m here to spread joy. Let’s win together,” said Felix in a video posted on the club’s X account. A separate post said he had signed until 2027.

Felix remains one of the most expensive transfers in history, following his move to Atletico for 127.7 million euros ($147.3 million) in 2019.

He has since had stints at Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea, but has failed to score more than 10 goals a season since leaving Benfica.

England international Ivan Toney has voiced his frustration after returning to find his car had been broken into during a trip to London.

Toney, who currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, is spending his summer break in the UK.

However, his visit to the capital took a sour turn when he discovered his black car with its front and rear windows shattered.

The striker posted a photo of the damage on Instagram with the caption: “This is why I hate London.”

The incident occurred while Ivan Toney was back in the city, where he had been spotted attending Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park alongside fellow footballers Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho.

It remains unclear whether anything was stolen from the vehicle or where exactly in London the break-in took place. However, crime continues to be a concern across many boroughs, with over 950,000 crimes reported in the capital last year. Former Metropolitan Police officers have criticized the state of law enforcement, suggesting criminals act with impunity.

Toney’s frustration comes at a time when phone thefts and gang-related youth crimes are also rising in the city. Public transport has not been spared either, with over 31,000 offences recorded across London’s

network between January and August last year.

The 28-year-old forward moved to Al-Ahli from Brentford last year in a £40 million deal. He made an instant impact, scoring 30 goals in his debut season.

Despite the recent car trouble, it’s still uncertain whether Toney will be called up again for England’s upcoming fixtures. He was part of the squad for the June matches against Andorra and Senegal but saw limited action — remaining on the bench during the 1-0 win over Andorra and playing only briefly in the 3-1 loss to Senegal.

England are set to face Andorra again at Wembley in September, followed by matches against Serbia, Wales, and Latvia in the following months. Whether Toney features remains to be seen.

Cristiano Ronaldo inked a two-year extension with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, the club announced Thursday, following months of speculation over which team he would sign for next season.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC until 2027,” the club wrote in a post on X.

Minutes before the official confirmation, the team posted a teaser video, with the 40-year-old Ronaldo walking along a beachfront and saying: “Al Nassr forever”.

The Portuguese superstar arrived in 2023 in the kingdom to play with the club, heralding a rush of players in the latter stages of their careers to the oil-rich country.

Last month, Ronaldo posted “This chapter is over” hours after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.

“Ronaldo’s presence is a key factor in developing the Saudi league in the last two years and a half. He opens the door for elite and young players to come to Saudi Arabia,” a source from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a major investor in Saudi football, told AFP last month.

The oil-funded PIF, the sovereign wealth fund behind a number of big-ticket Saudi investments, controls a group of Pro League clubs including Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli.

Ronaldo’s announcement in May came just months after Brazilian star Neymar ended his injury-plagued 18-month stay in January, after playing just seven times for Al Hilal — on a reported salary of around $104 million a year.

Although Ronaldo was the Pro League’s top scorer with 25 goals, he has been unable to win a Saudi or continental trophy with Al Nassr, who lost in the Asian Champions League semi-finals last month.

Last year, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he could end his career with Al Nassr, the Riyadh team favoured by a number of Saudi royals.

Saudi Arabia has shaken up football by spending heavily on stars from Europe, starting with Ronaldo’s move, and the desert nation will host the World Cup in 2034.