Al-Ittihad are expected to make another bid for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah before the Saudi transfer window closes on September 7

Al-Ittihad will test Liverpool’s resolve again before the Saudi transfer market ends after Liverpool rejected a £150m Mohamed Salah approach last week.

According to iNews, Al-Ittihad will up their bid to a world-record £215m, but Liverpool will fight any last-ditch effort to recruit the Egyptian before their September 7 transfer deadline.

The Reds believe the problem resolved, but Saudi Arabia does not. Even if a stronger offer is submitted this week, a Salah transfer to the Gulf State seems like a question of time.

Al-Ittihad’s initial offer on the day of European football’s transfer deadline was always certain to fail unless Salah changed the situation. Liverpool should not sell now because they cannot replace the Egyptian until January even if they accept a stronger offer.

The 31-year-old has won every major award at Anfield, so few would object to a return to the Middle East. He is the most famous Muslim footballer in the world, therefore it seems sense that both the player and the Saudi Pro League would want to sign him.

Salah already had two teammates who could give him a true sense of what to anticipate after Liverpool sold Fabinho to Al-Ittihad for £40m earlier this summer and signed Egypt teammate Ahmed Hegazi.

However, Al-Ittihad, the reigning Saudi Pro League winners, are third in the standings so far this season, with the fortunes of two high-profile, big-money international players perhaps warning the Reds’ Egyptian King.

Karim Benzema first. The Real Madrid icon joined the Saudi club on a free transfer this summer, but Gulf State sources say he has a troubled relationship with his manager, Nuno Espirito Santo.

Last month, Saudi tabloid Al-Sharq Al-Awsat said that Santo had stated that Benzema did not fit his style of play and that he did not want him to join the club. The striker is already feeling ‘discomfort’ at the club and feels his management is treating him unprofessionally.

They also disagreed over the leadership, as Santo originally opposed Benzema’s wish to captain Al-Ittihad despite it being agreed upon during his transfer talks. Hegazi, last season’s captain, was sidelined with an ACL injury, therefore Romarinho captained the club’s first two Saudi Pro League games despite being in the starting XI.

However, Benzema has been captain for Al-Ittihad’s previous three games, starting alongside Romarinho and scoring both of his two goals. One can only wonder whether Egypt captain Salah will spark further club captaincy disputes.

Jota joined Al-Ittihad in July, but his future is uncertain. The Portuguese signed the Saudi Pro League team from Celtic for £25m, although he has yet to start.

It was generally rumored that Al-Ittihad planned to sell Jota before pursuing Salah. He might be sacrificed to make way for the Egyptian if the team signs him from Liverpool.

In August, Saudi writer Waleed Al Farraj said the club’s administration wants to fire Jota a month after his arrival because he ‘does not benefit the team.’

Farraj added, “I heard Jota will not continue with the team.” “The club spent €30 million for him, but he’s not working out.

Ittihad’s interests come first. I’m pleased to have Karim Benzema at centre-forward, but he needs world-class attacking wingers. But not that way.”

Jota stays on the edges of Al-Ittihad after one month. He made a 30-minute substitute cameo in the 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal on Friday after scoring his first goal for the club off the bench against Al-Wehda previous week.

Despite his restricted role, Santo wants to play him alongside Salah when he switches from a 4-4-2 diamond formation to a winger system, according to The Athletic. However, Jota remains connected with a departure, and Al-Ittihad would need to sell one international player to create way for the Egyptian, per Saudi Pro League player registration requirements.

If Al-Ittihad signed Salah, he would be the crown treasure. So far, Benzema and Jota have shown that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.