Liverpool have rejected a £150 million bid for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.

The much advertised formal offer for Salah was finally lodged within hours of the Premier League deadline. It consisted of an initial £100 million with a further £50 million in add-ons.

As the club had stated privately and publicly, it was instantly met with a firm rejection by Fenway Sports Group president Michael Gordon, with a polite reiteration that the club will not countenance Salah’s departure in this window at any price.

Since the Saudi interest in Salah was ramped up, Liverpool have been unequivocal and they hope their response shows they are true to their word. While ‘not for sale’ messages can occasionally sound like a negotiating tool to push the price up, there has been no bluff from FSG.

The reality for Liverpool is they need their assets on the pitch to fulfil this year’s objectives, not a fortune in the bank. Put simply, with only hours of the transfer window open, Salah is irreplaceable so there is no price that can make Liverpool blink.

Also, FSG executives would never agree to sell any player without fully consulting their manager, Jürgen Klopp. He made it clear the matter was ‘closed’ a week ago, and there has been unity across the board despite the eye-watering figures.

Salah’s valuation would make him a Premier League record transfer, eclipsing the £142 million Liverpool received for Philippe Coutinho in 2018. That is an incredible valuation for a 31-year-old.

It remains to be seen if the Saudis will try again on Friday, or before their transfer window shuts later in September. However, having turned down a bid with the Premier League window still open, there is even less chance of Liverpool reconsidering when they would be unable to spend the money until January.

Salah and his representative have remained silent while the informed speculation about an imminent Saudi offer has built to a crescendo over the past week.

Earlier in the transfer window, Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa announced Salah had no intention of quitting Liverpool this summer. The Egypt international striker gave a typically committed performance in last weekend’s win at Newcastle United.

Given the player’s finely tuned political antennae, the more recent silence gives the impression he has been open-minded to whatever circumstances presented itself in the final days of this window – more than likely awaiting Liverpool’s response to any offer. There can be no doubt about how highly he is still valued by his manager and the club given Friday’s response to the massive bid.

Last year, Liverpool made Salah the highest paid footballer in the club’s history, handing him a £350,000 a week deal until 2025. That was an acknowledgement of his stellar contribution and the belief he could get close to breaking Liverpool’s goalscoring records during his time at Anfield.

Klopp: Saudis a threat – transfer window changes must be made

Klopp, meanwhile has said he disagrees with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin’s claim that the Saudi Pro League is no threat to the stability of European football.

Ceferin dismissed the idea the Saudi recruitment drive will undermine the strength of the traditional Euro superpowers, but Klopp believes the coming days will be troubling for clubs trying to resist lucrative offers for their stars. Although the European transfer window closes on Friday, Saudi clubs have until September 7 to register new players.

Klopp says rather than dismissing the “threat”, Uefa should see the way the wind is blowing and seek a change to the rules, preventing bids after the window closes.

“That is something Uefa or whoever should have an eye on because we all have to protect the game,” he said. “I don’t know where it will lead to but it feels rather like a threat or a concern than not because I can’t see how we really deny it in these moments. What can we do?

“But we have to make sure the European leagues stay as strong as they are so we have to change laws, adapt laws.”

That said, it does not appear that Klopp expects to be watching many Saudi league games in the near future.

“I love all my players who play now in Saudi, but I didn’t watch them yet,” he said. “I don’t know where, so it is not like it distracts me from my watching habits.

“We are still a bit surprised by the activity from Saudi Arabia, I didn’t watch it yet but that doesn’t mean I never will.”

Ceferin used the examples of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland to suggest the most wanted footballers are not interested in a move to Saudi.

But Klopp responded: “I don’t know 100 per cent yet, but I don’t think the Haaland and Mbappé  example is a really good one.

“They are that young and earn already, so that is a different thing. I don’t know how stable it is and I think it will show how much of a challenge it is because whatever happens there [after the European transfer window shuts], no one can react anymore.”

It would appear there are no greater admirers of Liverpool’s recruitment policy in world football than the Saudi Pro League clubs.

As well as the three ex-Kop idols who have made the move since the summer (Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho), at least six others have been the subject of informal approaches. Even older club legends such as Georginio Wijnaldum have agreed to move to Al-Ettifaq, where he will reunite with Henderson and be coached by Anfield hero Steven Gerrard.

Some will see that as a compliment to Liverpool’s talent pool, the club obviously blessed with attractive footballers – even those past their peak.

In the case of the more unwanted advances, most notably the pursuit of Salah, it has the potential to remain a distraction until the Saudi transfer window shuts.