Liverpool targeted Mohamed Salah years before he signed for the Reds in 2017.
Mohamed Salah set to leave Liverpool (Image: Molly Darlington/Copa, Getty Images)
Chelsea competed for Mohamed Salah’s exploits in 2014, blocking his first move to Liverpool. The Reds had their sights set on the then-Basel winger in the January transfer window, but they ultimately lost out to Jose Mourinho’s side.
Salah, who is set to leave Liverpool in the summer, has found it difficult to make his mark during his first spell in English football. He made 19 appearances for the West London club, was loaned to Fiorentina a year later, and eventually signed for Roma.
His impressive performances in Italy reignited Liverpool’s interest in him and they signed him for £34.3m in 2017. Mourinho has faced criticism for letting Salah leave Stamford Bridge given his winning nine years at Anfield, but the former Chelsea boss sees things differently.
“When people say, ‘We let Salah go,’ I say exactly the opposite,” Mourinho said on the Obi Wan podcast in 2023. “I bought Salah. I was the one who said, ‘Buy that player.’
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“He was going from Basel to Liverpool and I had a fight. I fought a war to get him to come to Chelsea. Then the role as a Chelsea player comes. You either perform or you have to wait. He didn’t want to wait and wanted to go on loan, but at some point Chelsea decided to sell. It wasn’t me.”
read more: Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville clash over argument over Mo Salah’s departure from Liverpoolread more: Liverpool, stay or sell: 5 players sacked, 3 transfer priorities cleared
Mourinho has denied any involvement in Salah’s departure from Chelsea, but Liverpool have benefited immensely from the Egyptian international’s determination to silence Premier League doubters. The 33-year-old led the Reds to success, winning two league titles and four Golden Boots.
“I think when I was at Chelsea I came here and Liverpool were competing for the title and it was an unbelievable atmosphere and I thought, ‘Wow, I want to play here one day,'” Salah told Sky Sports in 2021.
“That’s why when I was in Roma and there were talks between the clubs, I said I would love to play there. The atmosphere was incredible and I wanted to go back to England to prove people wrong. I didn’t have a chance at Chelsea so I wanted to come back.”
Salah played for one year under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea (Image: GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Salah confirmed earlier this week that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, ending his remarkable spell at the club. He has won a number of major trophies with the Reds, including the Premier League and Champions League, and has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances.
In a video posted on social media on Tuesday, Salah said: “Hello everyone. Unfortunately this day has come. This is the first part of my farewell. I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season.”
“The first thing I wanted to say is that I never imagined that this club, this city, these people would be part of my life. Liverpool is more than just a football club, it’s a passion, a history, a spirit. Words can’t explain it to anyone who isn’t part of this club.”
He continued: “Leaving is never easy. You guys have given me the best time of my life and I will always be one of you. This club will always be home for me and my family. Thank you for everything. Because of you I will never walk alone.”
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