Liverpool Faces Alisson Exit Threat from Saudi Pro League Giants
Liverpool thought they had slammed the door shut on Alisson Becker’s exit this summer. Now Saudi Arabia is trying to kick it back open.
Earlier in the window, Juventus circled. Luciano Spalletti, who coached Alisson at Roma in 2016/17, pushed for a reunion in Turin. Liverpool’s response was decisive. Sporting director Richard Hughes triggered a one-year option in the Brazilian’s contract, tying him to Anfield until 2027 and cooling Italian hopes in one move.
The message was clear: Liverpool’s No 1 was going nowhere.
Saudi twist in Alisson saga
That certainty has started to fray.
In Saudi Arabia, prominent journalist Mohamed Bukairy claims Al-Ittihad are close to landing the 33-year-old goalkeeper from Liverpool. Writing on X, he reports that the Jeddah club’s hierarchy are deep in talks over a deal for the Brazil international.
Bukairy says Al-Ittihad have tabled what he describes as a “tempting” proposal, worth more than €11 million a year. Another Saudi club, newly promoted Al-Diriyah, is also said to be in the race, adding an unexpected domestic tug-of-war for one of world football’s elite keepers.
The numbers explain why Alisson is listening.
Money, taxes and temptation
On Merseyside, Alisson is understood to earn around £150,000 per week. The Saudi package, converted, would nudge that up to roughly £179,000 per week in gross terms. Not an eye-watering jump on paper, but the tax landscape changes everything.
With favourable tax regulations in the kingdom, the take-home difference becomes far more dramatic. For a player in his thirties, with a finite window at the top and a young family to consider, that kind of offer lands with real weight.
It is not just about the money, though. The Saudi Pro League has already lured some of Europe’s biggest names. The project is aggressive, well-funded and relentless. Alisson, a Champions League and Premier League winner, fits the profile perfectly: star power, pedigree, global recognition.
Liverpool’s problem: leaders draining away
There is a major obstacle. Any move still needs Liverpool’s consent.
That is where this story runs into heavy resistance. Liverpool have already seen key experience walk out of the dressing room this summer, with Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konaté all departing. Strip out Alisson as well and the spine that carried the club through some of its greatest modern nights starts to look alarmingly thin.
On the pitch, the concern is just as stark. Alisson has missed a worrying number of games through injury, forcing Giorgi Mamardashvili into extended action last season. The Georgian impressed in spells, but there is a gulf between deputising for Alisson and replacing him outright.
You do not casually cash in on a goalkeeper who has bailed you out in countless high-pressure moments, who has become a symbol of calm in chaos, who has literally scored a last-minute winner to keep a season alive.
Anfield’s next big decision
For now, Liverpool hold the strongest hand. Alisson is under contract until 2027. The club have no financial need to sell. Any Saudi bid will have to be extraordinary, not just tempting.
But the pattern is familiar. Saudi clubs identify a star. They offer a life-changing contract. They wait for the first crack in a club’s resolve, or in a player’s desire to stay.
Liverpool fought off Juventus. Now they must decide whether to resist again as Al-Ittihad and Al-Diriyah circle their No 1 — or accept that, in this new era of football money, even Anfield’s guardians can be prised away.
