Saudi club ‘insist’ on ambitious ex-Liverpool teammate after Firmino, Mendy captures – Romano | OneFootball

Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah celebrate a goal for Liverpool.

Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli have confirmed the signing of Roberto Firmino and are hoping to reunite the Brazilian with a former Liverpool teammate.

Alongside James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita, Firmino left Anfield at the end of last season following the expiry of his contract.

He won all there was to win in England, claiming one Champions League, one Premier League, a FA Cup, a Carabao Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a Club World Cup, and most importantly, the Community Shield in 2022.

After eight years with Liverpool, Firmino has departed to join the Saudi Arabian revolution.

The Brazilian forward has penned a three-year contract with Al Ahli, joining Edouard Mendy at the club following his transfer from Chelsea.

Mendy also signed a contract lasting until 2026 but joined for a transfer fee, believed to be in the region of £16million, unlike Firmino, who was available for diddly squat.

Lots of big names have already made the move to Saudi Arabia this year, with many more expected to follow.

They are targeting some ambitious names like Bernardo Silva and Mohamed Salah, but it is believed Al Ahli are hoping to reunite Firmino with Sadio Mane.

The Senegalese forward joined Liverpool in July 2016, a year after Firmino’s arrival, and helped form one of the best forward lines in Premier League history together with Salah.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Saudi clubs are ‘pushing’ to sign Mane after completing the acquisition of his former teammate.

Al Ahli are the club ‘insisting’ the most and will try to prise the 31-year-old from Bayern Munich, where Mane has been since he sealed a £30m move from Liverpool last summer.

The winger’s ‘intention’ is not clear at this moment in time so the ‘interest from other clubs’ could be in vain, although the idea of reuniting with Firmino and playing with his Senegal teammate Mendy could appeal to him.

Mane has not had the best of times in Munich since joining the Bundesliga giants.

The 95-cap Senegal international only scored 12 goals in 38 games for Bayern in 2022/23 and reportedly struck teammate Leroy Sane in the Etihad dressing room following a heavy Champions League defeat against Manchester City.

After a difficult debut season in Germany, Mane could be open to leaving the club, but that remains to be seen.