Mohamed Salah has spent the better part of two years being linked with a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia, but it looks like even the Saudi clubs have their limits. Reports suggest that Salah's financial demands are putting potential suitors off, which is genuinely saying something given that these are the same clubs that happily handed Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar contracts that most countries couldn't afford. If the Saudi clubs are blinking first, Salah must be asking for something truly eye-watering. The irony is that Liverpool would probably have been happy to see him go, sorted the succession plan, and moved on — now they might be stuck in another summer of saga. As a United fan, watching Liverpool squirm is always enjoyable, but even in fairness to Salah, the man has earned the right to chase every last penny.
Over in Germany, Bayern Munich have reportedly told Real Madrid where to go regarding Michael Olise. Real apparently came sniffing after a big season from the French winger, but Bayern are not remotely interested in doing them any favours. Olise only joined Bayern last summer and has already shown he is a genuinely exciting player, so it would be a disaster for them to lose him after one season. Real Madrid have a habit of just pointing at players they fancy and expecting clubs to roll over — good on Bayern for slamming the door.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are apparently close to signing Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi. The German winger has pace to burn and would add something different to Hansi Flick's squad. The interesting question, as always with Barcelona, is how they are actually paying for any of this. Their financial situation has been complicated for years now, yet somehow they keep signing players. Whatever their accountants are doing, it is working — for now at least.
It is shaping up to be a busy summer across Europe's top clubs, with plenty more twists still to come before the window slams shut. Let me know your thoughts.