Alisson Becker Faces Saudi Interest as Liverpool's Resolve is Tested

Liverpool thought they had slammed the door shut on Alisson Becker’s suitors this summer. Juventus knocked first, Luciano Spalletti keen on a reunion with the goalkeeper he trusted at Roma in 2016/17. The answer from Anfield was firm: no sale.

Sporting director Richard Hughes even moved to underline that stance, activating a one-year option in Alisson’s contract to extend his deal to 2027. The message was clear. Liverpool’s No 1 stays.

Despite reports that Alisson had at least entertained the idea of a return to Italy, nothing materialised. Once the Juventus interest faded, the expectation around the club was simple: the 33-year-old would see out his contract on Merseyside.

Now that certainty is under threat from a different direction.

Saudi push for Liverpool’s No 1

In Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad have stepped into the frame. Prominent Saudi journalist Mohamed Bukairy claims the Jeddah club are closing in on an agreement to sign Alisson for 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 posted on X, describing the scale of the move being attempted.

He added that “reliable sources” report Al-Ittihad have tabled a “tempting offer” worth more than €11 million per year to the Brazil international. That figure has turned heads. Not just in Saudi, but in boardrooms and dressing rooms across Europe that have already seen this movie before.

There is another twist. According to the same reporting, newly promoted Al-Diriyah are also in the hunt, trying to “snag Alisson's gloves” and muscle in on their more established rivals. For Al-Ittihad fans, that is the immediate concern: not Liverpool’s stance, but whether another Saudi club might hijack the deal.

Money, minutes and mounting injuries

On Merseyside, the equation looks very different. Alisson is believed to earn around £150,000 per week at Liverpool. The Saudi package, when broken down, comes in at roughly £179,000 per week in gross terms. On paper, that is a rise. Once Saudi tax regulations are factored in, it becomes even more attractive.

For a 33-year-old goalkeeper with a heavy workload behind him and a growing injury record, such numbers carry weight. This is the reality of the current market: Saudi clubs are not just offering a final payday; they are offering life-changing, generational money.

Alisson has already missed a significant number of matches through injury, forcing Liverpool to lean on cover. Giorgi Mamardashvili saw plenty of action last season, stepping in when the Brazilian was sidelined. Those absences have fuelled debate about how Liverpool manage the position over the next few years, especially with the physical demands of the Premier League and international football.

Yet that same fragility is precisely why Liverpool might dig in even harder. When fit, Alisson remains one of the most decisive goalkeepers in world football. Replacing that level of presence, calm and reliability would be both expensive and risky.

Liverpool’s leadership drain

Any Saudi move for Alisson does not exist in isolation. It lands in a summer when Liverpool have already waved goodbye to serious experience and influence. Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konaté have all departed, stripping away layers of leadership from a dressing room that once seemed overflowing with it.

Allowing another cornerstone to leave now would not just be a tactical decision. It would be a cultural one.

Even if Al-Ittihad or Al-Diriyah reach agreement with the player’s camp, they still need Liverpool’s consent. That remains the biggest obstacle. The club have shown already this window that they are prepared to resist, even when the money is loud and the pressure intense.

So the choice looms. Cash in on a 33-year-old goalkeeper while his market is still hot, or hold firm and trust that Alisson can anchor the next phase of Liverpool’s rebuild.

For a club trying to stay at the sharp end of European football while the Saudi Pro League keeps raiding its elite, that decision may say more about Liverpool’s future than any signing they make this summer.