What Mohamed Salah Said After Rejecting Liverpool For Chelsea In 2014

Liverpool remain in talks to sign Mohamed Salah. And it's not the first time they've attempted to sign him following an unsuccessful bid in 2014.

The 24-year-old Egyptian international ultimately joined Chelsea but he was waiting on Liverpool to complete the deal claiming he was eager to 'join them.'

But a few years later, it appears Salah could very well be on his way to Anfield after being identified by Jurgen Klopp as a transfer priority.

_{Salah gliding past Real Madrid players in the Champions League. Image: PA}

Speaking back in 2014, Salah detailed how the potential deal from Basel to Liverpool collapsed while confessing his admiration for the club.

"They had opened talks in October 2013. Negotiations took a long time, because Basel rejected more than one offer. They felt the transfer fee was not that high. I was waiting for Liverpool because I really like Liverpool. I was eager to join them," he told told MBC Masr via Four Four Two.

Before explaining why he opted to join Chelsea, singling out then-Blues boss Jose Mourinho as his reason.

_{Salah in action for Chelsea against Liverpool at Anfield. Image: PA}

"But then I received a phone call from Mourinho and that changed everything. He explained the situation to me and told me that he needed me at Chelsea. That was one of the main reasons why I joined Chelsea."

While recalling the conversation he had, "Mourinho told me that he thought I was a good player and that he wanted me to pick Chelsea."

Meanwhile, AS Roma have rejected a reported £28 million for Salah but negotiations between the clubs continue as Klopp is hellbent on landing the winger.

_{The performance that alerted Chelsea to sign Salah. Image: PA}

It's believed the Italian outfit are holding out for a believed fee in the region of £35-40 million.

As a result of his heroics this campaign which saw AS Roma finish second behind Juventus. Salah was a key player for Luciano Spalletti who contributed 15 goals in 31 appearances in the league.

And his performances and experience in the Champions League with AS Roma and Basel has made him a target for Klopp as he heads his charges back to Europe next season.

Liverpool are set to add Dominic Solanke on 1st July. Could they also boast the services of the former Premier League player?

Topics: Liverpool, Klopp, Salah

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

@https://twitter.com/NasJabbar