“In the end, he was sold for 55” - Monchi opens up on how he hiked the price of Mo Salah’s transfer to Liverpool

Former Roma sporting director Monchi has opened up on how he was able to significantly increase the transfer fee Liverpool paid to sign Mohamed Salah in 2017, turning what was initially a €33 million deal into a €55 million move.

Monchi was appointed as Roma’s director of football in April 2017 after a successful stint at Sevilla. However, by the time he arrived in the Italian capital, Salah was set to leave Roma. The Egyptian marksman left Stadio Olimpico just two months after Monchi took charge.

Speaking about the circumstances surrounding Salah’s exit, Monchi explained that when he arrived at Roma, the Egyptian forward’s transfer to Liverpool was already in motion. He stated that the player had conveyed his intention to depart from I Giallorossi, and both clubs had already reached an agreement on the transfer fee. However, he felt Roma could and should demand more for a player of Salah’s quality. He told Flashscore:

"It was necessary. When I arrived there, Salah was nearly sold for 33 million euros plus a three-million bonus. In the end, he was sold for 55, but there was already a commitment with the player. He wanted to leave, and the only thing we could do was try to improve the price.

"You have to understand that moment, the sale of Salah was before Dembele, before the whole explosion of the football market with crazy sales. And, well, I insist, I practically had an agreement between Roma and Liverpool. What we did was to push to get as much as possible, because the player already knew he wanted to leave."

Salah spent just one full season at Roma, joining the club from Chelsea in 2016. His move to Liverpool, however, turned out to be the right one, as he has not only etched his name into the club’s history books but has also cemented his position as one of the Premier League's all-time greats.

How has Mohamed Salah fared for Liverpool this season?

After eight years of consistent goalscoring for Liverpool, Mohamed Salah has seen his numbers drop significantly this season. The 33-year-old has long been the club’s talisman, regularly contending for the Premier League Golden Boot. He took his numbers to a whole new level last season, equaling Alan Shearer and Andy Cole for the most goal contributions (47) in a Premier League season.

However, he has struggled to maintain that same level of consistency this campaign, having scored just two goals in seven league appearances and three goals in 10 across competitions. He came under fire during the side’s last outing, a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, where he squandered a plethora of goal-scoring chances. With club football resuming this weekend, he will be eager to turn around his current form.