The UEFA Champions League action is back and Premier League leaders Liverpool are set to face PSV Eindhoven in the upcoming fixture. Mohamad Salah will not be travelling with the team fo play in the fixture. While there are news about Saudi clubs targeting the Egytian, the real treason behind his absence is due to manager Arne Slot's decision to rest the top players.
With Liverpool guaranteed to finish in top two of the Champions League points table, Liverpool can afford to rest a host of regular starters for their last league-phase game. Besides Salah and Captain Virgil van Dijk, keeper Alisson along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz have also been rested..
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Arne Slot on resting regular players for PSV fixture
Besides Champions League, Liverpool are also fighting to win Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. Slot while speaking to media said, “I think we are playing, like all the teams in Europe, many, many, many games and these players have already, so all the ones that are left behind could have played tomorrow,"
He added, “If you look back at our season, it’s been almost every time after three or four or five weeks, we gave them a break during the week when it was the League Cup or the FA Cup.If there was a moment for them to get some freshness back, we’ve always done that."
Al Hilal target Salah
With Salah on his final year of the Liverpool contract, Saudi-based clubs have set their sights on bringing the ace striker to Saudi Pro League. Al Hilal reportedly target the Egyptian following Neymar's departure. According to a Liverpool Echo report, the Saudi club are now in the market for a new marquee signing ahead of the new-look Club World Cup, which gets underway in the summer.
Salah has been seen by them as their primary target. Al Hilal, just a couple of days back had released Neymar with the former Barcelona star set to return to boyhood club Santos. Following the Brazilian's departure, Al Hilal is now planning to use the funds and sign Salah as his replacement.
