Alisson Faces New Transfer Challenge as Al-Ittihad Pursues Move
Liverpool face fresh Alisson battle as Al-Ittihad push for blockbuster move
Liverpool thought they had won this fight once already this summer. They might have to go again.
Alisson Becker, the bedrock of the club’s modern era, is once more at the centre of a tug-of-war – this time not with Juventus, but with the Saudi Pro League and a lucrative proposal that would test any player’s resolve.
From Turin to the Gulf
Earlier in the window, Juventus made their move. Luciano Spalletti, now in charge in Turin, wanted a reunion with the goalkeeper he trusted at Roma in 2016/17. It was a logical play: an elite club, a coach who knows him, a league he understands.
Liverpool shut it down.
Sporting director Richard Hughes triggered a one-year option in Alisson’s contract, extending his deal to 2027 and sending a clear message: the Brazil No 1 was not for sale. The expectation around Anfield since then has been simple – the 33-year-old would stay, ride out his contract, and continue as the guardian of Liverpool’s goal.
That assumption is now under strain.
Al-Ittihad step in with big money
In Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad have moved to the front of the queue. Prominent Saudi journalist Mohamed Bukairy claims the club are close to an agreement to bring Alisson to the Pro League.
He describes Alisson as “the guardian of Liverpool's den and the Samba national team” and reports that Al-Ittihad, known as the “Dean of Saudi Clubs”, have tabled what he calls a “tempting offer” – a salary in excess of €11 million a year.
There is another twist. Bukairy also notes that Al-Diriyah, newly promoted to the Saudi Professional League, are attempting to muscle in on the deal, trying to “snag Alisson's gloves” from under Al-Ittihad’s nose.
Two Saudi clubs. One of the world’s top goalkeepers. And a contract that, financially, is hard to ignore.
Why the offer bites
On Merseyside, Alisson is understood to earn around £150,000 per week. The Saudi package, converted, would sit at roughly £179,000 per week in gross terms – a modest rise on paper.
But the headline figure doesn’t tell the full story.
Saudi tax regulations dramatically change the equation. When you strip away the layers, the net income on offer would dwarf what he currently takes home at Liverpool. For a 33-year-old goalkeeper, already at the top of the game, this is the kind of late-career offer that forces difficult conversations.
The temptation is obvious.
Liverpool’s dilemma
For Liverpool, this is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It is about leadership, continuity, and the spine of a dressing room that has already lost too many voices in one summer.
- Andy Robertson
- Mohamed Salah
- Ibrahima Konaté
Each exit has chipped away at the core of experience that carried the club through title races, European nights and the turbulence of transition.
Now the prospect of losing Alisson – the calm presence behind it all – threatens to rip out another pillar.
Liverpool have seen what life without him looks like.
Last season, Giorgi Mamardashvili logged significant minutes deputising for the Brazilian as injuries sidelined the first-choice keeper for long stretches. Those absences exposed a reality the club cannot ignore: Alisson has missed too many matches, and planning for the future in goal is no longer a theoretical exercise.
But planning is one thing. Sanctioning his exit is another.
Power still lies at Anfield
Even if Al-Ittihad, or Al-Diriyah, reach an agreement with Alisson’s camp, they still face the biggest obstacle of all – Liverpool’s consent.
The club hold the contract. They have just extended it. They know replacing a goalkeeper of this calibre is not as simple as writing a cheque, particularly in a market where top-level keepers are scarce and expensive.
For now, Liverpool are not expected to look kindly on any proposal, no matter how eye-watering the salary on offer to the player. The calculation is brutal but clear: can they afford to lose yet another leader in the same window, or do they draw a line in the sand around the one man who has so often bailed them out?
The money in Saudi Arabia will not go away. The question is whether Liverpool’s resolve – and Alisson’s loyalty to the project at Anfield – proves stronger than the pull of a golden final contract.
