LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah is reportedly getting closer to joining Al-Ittihad after the Saudi Arabian club reportedly managed to reach an agreement that several other clubs failed to finalize.

According to a report by Turkiye, Sabah media, Al-Ittihad is prepared to offer the Egyptian striker a contract worth 21 million pounds per season for the 2026-27 season.

The development comes after Salah’s negotiations with Besiktas reached a deadlock, thus opening the way for Al-Ittihad to accelerate efforts to acquire the former Liverpool star.

Salah left Liverpool at the end of June after agreeing to terminate the remaining year of his contract early.

His previous contract with the Reds was reportedly worth around 400,000 pounds a week, but an increasingly strained relationship with the club, including manager Arne Slot, saw both parties choose different paths.

After that, Salah’s choice of new destinations became increasingly limited as only a few clubs were able to meet the 34-year-old’s financial demands.

Besiktas previously tried to secure Salah’s services with an offer of around 20 million euros per season including bonuses.

The Turkiye club reportedly offered the maximum amount they could provide, but negotiations stalled when the demands from the player’s representatives exceeded their means.

The situation shows that Salah is still attracting the attention of several clubs, but not many can afford his entire financial package.

Al-Ittihad is no stranger to trying to acquire Salah.

The club once submitted a 150 million pound offer to Liverpool in 2023, but it was rejected.

Despite failing at the time, Al-Ittihad never changed its stance because it considered Salah to be one of the most high-profile players in the world who was still capable of making a big impact on the pitch and from a commercial perspective.

Sabah reported that Al-Ittihad offered Salah an annual salary of US$25 million and the player has accepted the offer, while the process of signing the contract is said to be just a matter of time.

Previously, Salah was also linked with several other clubs including San Diego FC and Sporting Kansas City from Major League Soccer (MLS), Fenerbahce as well as several clubs in Italy.

However, financial factors are seen as the main obstacle for any club other than Saudi Arabia to realise the transfer.

If the transfer is confirmed, Al-Ittihad will finally have secured a player they have long been targeting.

For Salah, it offers a guaranteed future, elite player status and lucrative financial rewards.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will be bringing to a close one of the best players in the club’s modern history, who helped the Reds win two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy as well as being a key pillar of the attacking machine for many years.

NEW YORK: Liverpool continued their winning streak under new manager Andoni Iraola after defeating Wrexham 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at Yankee Stadium, New York, this morning.

Teenage striker Rio Ngumoha scored the only goal of the match in the 75th minute with a close-range finish that was greeted with cheers from more than 42,000 fans, the majority of whom supported Liverpool, at the famous stadium, which is home to the New York Yankees baseball team and the Major League Soccer (MLS) club, New York City.

The win came after Liverpool beat Sunderland 4-2 in Nashville last Saturday in Iraola’s first game since the former Bournemouth manager replaced the sacked Arne Slot.

However, the victory was marred by an injury to defender Joe Gomez, who was among the players not fielded against Wrexham, in addition to new player Jeremy Jacquet and players who played at the World Cup, namely Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

Before the match, Iraola announced that Gravenberch (Netherlands), Wirtz (Germany) and Isak (Sweden) may return to action in the final match of the United States tour against Leeds at Soldier Field Stadium, Chicago, this Sunday.

Wrexham, who have improved significantly in recent years under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, failed to qualify for the Championship play-offs on the final day of last season.

Phil Parkinson’s squad arrived at Yankee Stadium after recording pre-season victories over Manchester United and Leeds.

LONDON: Chelsea are planning a surprise move to sign Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson on a free transfer this summer.

The Blues are looking to add experience to the squad and see the former Liverpool captain as an ideal candidate to strengthen the team.

Henderson, 36, joined Brentford on a two-year contract before last season after spending 18 months with Ajax.

The team managed by Keith Andrews now has the potential to allow the experienced player to leave the club for free to continue his career at the highest level.

Chelsea are not the only club interested as two other Premier League (EPL) clubs are believed to be also chasing the midfielder’s signature.

Henderson was part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad at the World Cup and is considered a key leader in the dressing room.

The situation makes it suitable for Chelsea’s transfer approach this summer which is starting to shift from just hunting for talented young players to an effort to acquire more experienced players.

Earlier this summer, the Blues targeted Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka, 33, who previously played for Arsenal.

Today, reports emerged that Chelsea want to add Brighton striker Danny Welbeck, 35, to their attack.

SunSport also reported last week that the Blues were considering a move for John Stones, but the player is now expected to join the Serie A club.

Henderson began his career with Sunderland and made 79 appearances for the club before moving to Liverpool in 2011.

The Sunderland-born player was a mainstay at Anfield for 12 years, taking over the captaincy from Steven Gerrard and helping the club win the EPL title, Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups and the Club World Cup.

After his playing minutes dwindled, Henderson opted to rejoin Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq in the summer of 2023.

The move to Saudi Arabia sparked criticism of the England player before he decided to return to Europe by joining Ajax in January 2024.

Henderson then revived his career in Amsterdam, making 57 appearances for the Dutch giants before returning to the EPL with Brentford in 2025.

MADRID: Brazilian star Vinicius Junior reportedly wants to resolve his contract issues with Real Madrid and is not interested in considering an offer from Arsenal at the moment.

The Athletic’s report yesterday claimed that Arsenal are exploring the possibility of securing the services of the 26-year-old player, with the effort receiving full support from the Premier League club’s management.

Vinicius’ current contract with Real has only 12 months remaining, sparking speculation about his future at the Santiago Bernabeu as Arsenal look to add strength to their attacking line-up.

The rumours have intensified after Real reportedly reached personal terms with RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande, raising questions about whether Vinicius’ eight-year spell with the Spanish giants is coming to an end.

According to reports from AS, Vinicius feels undervalued due to ongoing speculation about Real’s interest in several other strikers such as Julian Alvarez, Michael Olise and Diomande.

However, the player who was runner-up in the 2024 Ballon d’Or is said to want to remain at Real, with his main priority being to reach an agreement on a new contract extension.

Vinicius wants the negotiation process to go smoothly without creating tensions like what happened last summer when contract talks stalled after the Club World Cup.

This approach also received support from Real management, who wanted to ensure that negotiations with Vinicius’ camp were going positively to end any doubts about the player’s future.

Contract talks are expected to resume next week after Vinicius returns from a short holiday in his hometown of Sao Goncalo, Brazil.

He is understood to want assurances about his role in Jose Mourinho’s first-team squad as well as a salary structure commensurate with his status.

Vinicius is reportedly demanding a salary of around 20 million euros net per season, an increase of 5 million euros compared to the earnings after his last contract renewal in 2022.

Since joining Real from Flamengo in 2017, the player has scored 128 goals and created 100 assists, in addition to helping the club win 14 trophies including three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.