Saudi Al Hilal hijacked Liverpool deal engineer and Mohamed Salah case forces him

This week at Liverpool has not been full of major deals, but it has brought developments that could affect the future of the club on and off the pitch. As sporting director Richard Hughes approaches a new challenge, the Reds continue to work quietly to rebuild the squad under manager Andoni Iraola, with finding a replacement for Egypt star Mohamed Salah high on the list of priorities.

Liverpool have enjoyed a quiet week in terms of transfers, but the focus has been on the future of sporting director Richard Hughes, who The Athletic reports is a candidate to join Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal at the end of the current summer transfer window.

Hughes, who is under contract at Liverpool until 2027, is expected to work again alongside Simon Francis, who recently left Bournemouth to take over as chief executive of Al Hilal.

Despite the speculation surrounding his future, Liverpool figures confirm that work is progressing well and that Hughes is fully focused on managing the current transfer market with the aim of building a team that can challenge for all the titles next season under new manager Andoni Iraola.

According to “The Athletic“Hughes still enjoys the confidence of the club’s owners and he is personally handling the contract negotiations without talking about his possible departure, which would affect Liverpool’s plans during the Mercato.

As for the deals, Liverpool have just announced the signing of Spanish winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna, in addition to completing the signing of French defender Jeremy Jaques, after agreeing a £60m deal last January.

In contrast, Lucas Stevenson, one of the club’s academy graduates, left for Bolton Wanderers for £700,000, with Liverpool retaining 20% ​​of the player’s future transfer fee.

The club’s management were aware from the outset that it would be difficult to seal many deals early this summer with the World Cup underway, with Iraola keen to assess the players in the squad before making any final decisions on his needs, with pre-season starting on July 14 at the Kirkby Centre.

Signing a replacement for Mohamed Salah remains a priority for Liverpool’s management, especially with the Egyptian star set to become a free agent next week without having yet announced his next destination.

Liverpool have made a €100m bid for Leipzig winger Yann Diomande, but the Ivorian has reportedly opted for a move to PSG if he decides to leave the club this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola is also being admired by Liverpool officials, with several other names on the shortlist including Brighton’s Yankouba Menti and Cologne’s Said El Mollah.

The club’s moves are not limited to the wing position, as they are also looking at strengthening the midfield and right-back positions in the current transfer window. On the other hand, doubts still surround the future of a number of players apart from Harvey Elliott, led by Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa.

Last month, Liverpool rejected a bid of around €25 million from Inter Milan for Jones, who is entering the final year of his contract with the club.

As for Chiesa, who joined Liverpool from Juventus two years ago, his name has been linked with a return to the Italian league after suffering a lack of participation last season.

Harvey Elliott, on the other hand, is expected to decide his position in the coming weeks while assessing his role in Iraola’s new project, given his desire for him to get more game minutes if he is not part of the manager’s plans next season.