'He was ready to go' - West Ham star Michail Antonio says he 'knows for a fact' Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah wanted to make big-money Saudi move in the summer
With Saudi Arabia showing interest this summer in Mohamed Salah, West Ham striker Michail Antonio is convinced he was «ready to go.»
WHAT HAPPENED? Despite Al-Ittihad's best efforts, Liverpool was able to retain the services of Salah this summer. The Saudi club first submitted a proposal of £150 million for the Egyptian, but the Reds rejected it right away. Closer to the transfer deadline, the Saudi team was said to be planning a £200 million bid, but they decided against it when it became evident Liverpool would not permit the player to go. West Ham forward Antonio has suggested in BBC's 'The Footballer’s Football Podcast' that he believes the Egyptian superstar was set on leaving the club but not for the monetary benefits that it would bring.
WHAT THEY SAID: “He didn’t turn that down, no way. He was locked up and the Reds had put that red arrow across: ‘You are not going anywhere’. He did not stop that at all. To be fair to him, he didn’t kick up a fuss and let them do what they were doing. But I know for a fact that he was ready to go" said Antonio.
Antonio emphasised that Salah was leaving Anfield because he had achieved everything he could there, not for financial gain. Antonio continued: «What else can he do at Liverpool? He’s done it. It’s [Saudi] a great opportunity for him, he is a Muslim man and it had everything screaming out for him. There was no actual negative for the man to not go. I understand he has a contract, which he has fulfilled.
“So he wins another [Premier League title], do you know what that just means? He has won another. It doesn’t add much to anything else. He has done everything he could possibly do at Liverpool. I am saying to you right now, a Muslim man going to a Muslim country, £215m to
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