FIFA make transfer rule change to open the door for Saudi giants Al-Hilal to sign Liverpool star: Reports

A FIFA council has reportedly made changes to a transfer rule that would allow Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal to sign Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah. After the Gulf club mutually terminated Neymar's contract, they have been in search of an urgent replacement, especially with the Club World Cup coming up.

It is no surprise that Mohamed Salah is one of Al-Hilal's major targets. The 32-year-old winger remains one of the best players in Europe, racking up an impressive 19 goals and 13 assists in just 22 Premier League games. It is also worth noting that he is now in the final six months of his contract at Anfield, where an extension has not been forthcoming.

Saudi Arabia could be Salah's next destination if he is unable to agree to a new deal with Liverpool. He has been courted by clubs in the country in the past year but the Reds have refused all advances for the winger. Now, with Al-Hilal free from Neymar's wages and space opening for another foreign player, they are set to move in for Salah.

It is unlikely that they will complete a January deal, especially as Salah remains instrumental to Liverpool's push for the Premier League title. However, reports have emerged about new FIFA rules that could give Al-Hilal enough time to sign the Egyptian ahead of the Club World Cup.

According to the Telegraph (via Mirror), an 'exceptional' transfer window is set to open between June 1 and June 10. This looks to 'address technicalities and equalise inconsistencies created by different registration periods between participating clubs' in the FIFA Club World Cup.

The competition is set to start on June 14 while the summer transfer window was slated to open on June 12. However, just over a week has been included to give clubs like Al-Hilal more time to sign players.

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"Far away from any progress" - Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah's last words about contract

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has not been shy about discussing his contract situation with the media in recent months. In an interview with Sky Sports earlier in January, he admitted that this was his last year at the club, based on the ongoing contract stalemate.

The winger explained that, despite having just six months left on his deal, there had been no inroads (via Mirror):

“There is nothing, no progress there. We are far away from any progress so we just need to wait and see.”

Salah admitted that he was not pressured by the situation, adding:

"If I feel a kind of distraction I just remind myself ‘OK you want to look back and say I had an unbelievable season’ so that’s what I want to do.”

Liverpool also have to extend the contracts of captain Virgil van Dijk and vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose current deals are set to expire this summer.