STEVEN GERRARD quashed talk of his Al-Ettifaq side signing Liverpool star Mo Salah… but accidentally dug out new transfer Jordan Henderson in the process.
Gerrard, 43, joined the Saudi Arabian club last month having previously rejected an offer.
And one of his first pieces of business was to pen a deal for Liverpool skipper Henderson, 33, to play for him.
Then on Monday, fellow Saudi side Al-Ittihad were linked with a £60million offer for Salah, 31.
It was also reported they were willing to offer the Egyptian a remarkable £155m in wages across a two-year deal.
Following the links, Gerrard was quizzed about whether he would be interested in Salah – who has 186 goals and 79 assists in 305 games for the Merseyside outfit.
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But he dismissed any interest in the forward – while at the same time inadvertently suggesting Henderson was not as key to Liverpool’s success.
When asked about Salah, Gerrard initially burst into laughter.
After gathering himself, he then said: “No. The answer is no because Mohamed Salah is my favourite player.
“I love Liverpool Football Club, so Mohamed can stay where he is.
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“When he wins more leagues and more Champions Leagues with Liverpool, we’ll maybe consider it.”
In response to the reports of Saudi interest in Salah, the Liverpool star’s agent Ramy Abbas came out to shut it down.
Speaking on Twitter, Abbas said: “If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer.
“Mohamed remains committed to LFC.”
Salah, who is on £400,000-a-week, signed a new deal 12 months ago to keep him at Anfield until 2025.
Meanwhile, Henderson is earning £700,000-a-week at Al-Ettifaq – who finished 11th in the Saudi Pro League last season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk