Alisson Becker Faces Saudi Arabia's Temptation Amid Liverpool's Resolve
Liverpool thought they had slammed the door shut on Alisson Becker’s suitors this summer. Juventus were seen off, a contract option was triggered, and the club moved on, confident their world-class goalkeeper was locked in until 2027.
Now Saudi Arabia is trying to kick that door down.
From Turin to the desert
Luciano Spalletti made the first move. The Juventus coach, who worked with Alisson at Roma in 2016/17, pushed for a reunion earlier in the window. Liverpool’s response was firm. Sporting director Richard Hughes exercised a one-year option in the Brazilian’s deal, extending it to 2027 and reinforcing the message: Alisson is not for sale.
Reports suggested the Brazil No 1 was open to the idea of returning to Italy, but nothing advanced. The expectation around Anfield quickly settled into a familiar rhythm – the 33-year-old would stay, ride out his contract and remain one of the pillars of the new Liverpool era.
That assumption is under fresh strain.
Al-Ittihad’s “tempting” proposal
In Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad are pushing hard. Prominent Saudi journalist Mohamed Bukairy claims the Jeddah club are close to an agreement to bring Alisson to the Saudi Pro League.
“Al-Ittihad Club's management is close to signing Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, the guardian of Liverpool's den and the Samba national team,” Bukairy wrote on X, framing the move as a marquee capture.
He adds that “reliable sources” say Al-Ittihad – known as the “Dean of Saudi Clubs” – have tabled a “tempting offer” worth more than €11 million a year. Another Saudi side, newly promoted Al-Diriyah, are also said to be in the race, hoping to “snag Alisson's gloves” and complicate Al-Ittihad’s push.
The numbers explain the noise. Alisson is believed to earn around £150,000 per week at Liverpool. The Saudi proposal, roughly £179,000 per week in gross terms, edges that figure up. Add in favourable tax conditions in Saudi Arabia and the package becomes even harder to ignore for a player in the final stretch of his peak years.
Risk and reward for Liverpool
From Liverpool’s perspective, this is about far more than a balance sheet. Any deal still needs the club’s approval, and that is where the Saudi optimism runs into a wall of football reality.
Alisson has missed chunks of recent seasons through injury, with Giorgi Mamardashvili stepping in for extended spells last term. Those absences have exposed Liverpool’s reliance on their No 1, but they have also underlined how hard he is to replace. When he plays, Liverpool defend higher, press braver, and take more risks. He changes the team’s personality.
Selling that kind of presence, even for a hefty salary off the books and a significant fee in the bank, would leave a hole that is not easily filled in one window.
It also comes at a delicate moment. Liverpool have already waved goodbye to major figures this summer. Andy Robertson has gone. Mohamed Salah has gone. Ibrahima Konaté has gone. Leaders, voices, reference points in the dressing room and on the pitch.
Strip out Alisson as well and you are not just tweaking a squad. You are tearing at the spine of a side that has spent years building a culture around its core players.
A test of ambition
So the decision, if a formal offer lands, cuts straight to the heart of what Liverpool want to be over the next few seasons. Cash in on a 33-year-old goalkeeper tempted by a lucrative final contract in Saudi Arabia? Or dig in, refuse to budge, and accept that keeping your best players sometimes means turning down money that looks irresistible on paper?
Saudi clubs have already changed the landscape for ageing stars. This time, the question is whether they can prise away one of the defining goalkeepers of the Premier League era – and whether Liverpool are prepared to let another leader walk out of Anfield just as a new cycle begins.
