Fabinho gives very honest response when asked if Salah should join him in Saudi

The Brazilian midfielder left Merseyside in the summer to join Al Ittihad. The club then tabled a world-record bid to tempt Salah to join him, but it was unsuccessful.

The Saudi Pro League champions had a huge offer rising to £150million knocked back by the Reds for the 31-year-old - and the decision has paid off.

Salah is Liverpool's top scorer this season with his 14 goals helping them to top spot in the Premier League, while the Egyptian star recently scored his landmark 200th goal for the club.

He's only the fifth player in Liverpool's history to reach that tally, with the double centurion cementing his status as an all-time Anfield legend in the process.

But these Saudi rumours refuse to go away with clubs in the Middle East still holding a keen interest.

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The forward's current Liverpool contract - which he agreed in the summer of 2022 to become the highest-paid player in the club's history - runs until June 2025, and it's clear from his performances this season that there is still plenty left in the tank from the 31-year-old.

In fact, manager Jurgen Klopp earlier this season was left marvelling at Salah's physical condition, saying he 'has the body of a 19-year-old' despite being in his 13th year as a professional footballer.

There is every chance Al Ittihad will come calling for Salah again in the coming transfer windows, with Pro League bosses keen to bring another global name to the Middle East following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema.

But one of their own stars has insisted he wants the talisman to stay put, for now, and hinted that Salah has no plans to leave, either.

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Speaking to talkSPORT after the Saudi club's 3-0 victory over Auckland City in the FIFA Club World Cup, former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho said: "At this moment Mo Salah is happy at Liverpool.

"He's scoring goals every game and he has been their best player. I'm very happy for Mo.

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"This season he will stay at Liverpool so I wish him all the best and hope he keeps scoring goals and winning trophies with Liverpool."

Fabinho, who lifted the Club World Cup with the Reds in 2019, also revealed he's keeping a close eye on their performances this season and is delighted his former teammates are leading the title race.

"I'm really happy for the boys," said the Brazilian.

"At the moment they are top of the league, of course there is still much to play in the Premier League and there are some clubs next to them like Arsenal, Man City, even Aston Villa, they are doing very well this season.

"So there is much to play in the competition, but it is always good to be at the top. You always have to try to be top of the league and winning games and Liverpool are doing this now.

"They are finding a way to win and finding goals after the 90 minutes, and this is really good. It shows their mentality and shows how good they are.

"They are really focussed on trying to win the championship."

Al Ittihad are one of the favourites to win the Club World Cup this winter in what is a home tournament hosted by Saudi Arabia.

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If they make it to the final, Fabinho is likely to face a familiar enemy, but - for the sake of his team's trophy goals - he hopes that doesn't happen.

"I want to be in the final… and then to be honest I don't want to play against Man City, because I know how good they are!"