Salah recently signed new two-year contract with LiverpoolEgyptian was tentatively linked with shock return to ChelseaReport names Real Madrid as suitors of Reds forward
Mohamed Salah’s choice to extend his contract with Liverpool has dealt a significant setback to Real Madrid, who were reportedly conducting extensive research on a potential acquisition of the Egyptian forward.
Madrid has previously posed challenges for Liverpool in the transfer arena, having reached an agreement to sign right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer upon the expiration of his contract this summer.
As reported by The Mail, Alexander-Arnold was not the only Liverpool player attracting interest from Madrid.
The La Liga club was also monitoring the situation regarding Salah’s future.
Madrid’s recent transfer approach has focused on capitalizing on expiring contracts to enhance their squad, and the opportunity to acquire one of the world’s top forwards was believed to be appealing to the management at Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Salah did not provide any indication to Madrid that they had a legitimate opportunity to secure his services this summer, instead making it clear that he prioritized discussions with Liverpool regarding his future.
Nonetheless, other reports have indicated that there were signs Salah might have considered other options.
It was recently suggested that had the 32-year-old been compelled to leave Liverpool, he would have been open to a return to Chelsea, where he made only 19 appearances before transferring to Roma in 2016, a year before joining Liverpool.
Additionally, there was optimism in Saudi Arabia that Salah was contemplating a move to the Middle East as recently as early April.
Al Hilal reportedly felt “crushed” by the forward’s decision to prolong his tenure at Anfield.
While formal confirmation regarding Alexander-Arnold’s next destination is still pending, Liverpool has effectively addressed much of the speculation surrounding the futures of their key players.
Alongside Salah, center-back Virgil van Dijk has also committed to an additional two years with the club.