Alisson Faces Fresh Saudi Push After Liverpool Blocks Juventus Reunion

Liverpool thought they had slammed the door on Alisson Becker’s suitors this summer. Juventus were told no, Luciano Spalletti’s reunion plans were shut down, and a one-year option quietly triggered to keep the Brazilian at Anfield until 2027.

Now the door is being pushed again. From a very different direction.

From Turin to the desert

Spalletti made his move first. Having worked with Alisson at Roma in 2016/17, the Juventus coach sounded out the chance of building his new side around the same goalkeeper he once trusted in Serie A. Liverpool’s response was decisive.

Sporting director Richard Hughes activated a one-year extension in Alisson’s contract, stretching it to 2027 and sending a clear signal: their No 1 was not for sale. Reports in Italy suggested Alisson had at least listened to the idea of a return, but nothing advanced. The expectation hardened that the 33-year-old would see out his deal on Merseyside.

That assumption now looks far less secure.

Al-Ittihad step up – with company

In Saudi Arabia, the noise is growing. Prominent journalist Mohamed Bukairy claims Al-Ittihad are close to an agreement to bring Alisson to the Saudi Pro League.

He reports that the Jeddah club, known as the “Dean of Saudi Clubs”, have put a “tempting offer” on the table, worth more than €11 million per year. The figure would edge his current Liverpool salary, believed to be around £150,000 a week, up to the equivalent of roughly £179,000 a week.

And that is only part of the attraction. Under Saudi tax rules, the net benefit for the Brazil international would be significant, turning a “slight” gross increase into a far more lucrative package in real terms.

Al-Ittihad, though, are not alone. Bukairy also notes that Al-Diriyah, newly promoted to the Saudi Professional League, are pushing to “snag Alisson’s gloves” themselves. For a club just arriving at the top table, landing one of the world’s elite goalkeepers would be a statement of intent.

Two clubs. One prize. A goalkeeper who has defined an era at Liverpool.

Liverpool’s dilemma: money vs leadership

On paper, the offer makes sense for the player. At 33, Alisson is at the stage of his career where the combination of financial security and a new challenge can be hard to resist. His injury record in recent seasons has also given others a taste of life without him.

Giorgi Mamardashvili, in particular, has stepped in for long stretches, covering when Alisson has been sidelined. Those spells have at least shown Liverpool what a succession plan might look like, and how often their first-choice keeper is missing.

But this is not a simple numbers game. Any Saudi deal still hinges on Liverpool’s approval, and that is where the story becomes far more complicated.

The club have already lost serious experience this summer. Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konaté have all departed, stripping the dressing room of voices that have lived through title races, Champions League nights and the pressure of carrying Liverpool’s modern resurgence.

To then wave through the exit of Alisson – a cornerstone of the side that won the Premier League and Champions League under Jürgen Klopp – would be another heavy blow to the team’s leadership core.

Liverpool can cash in. They can trust their recruitment and back the next man up. Or they can dig in, reject Saudi money and insist that some pillars simply do not move yet.

The Saudi offers may be tempting. The question now is whether Liverpool are prepared to pay the price of saying yes.