Jota puts Mo Salah to Ittihad transfer at risk as Celtic hero's stance throws up fresh hurdle for Liverpool superstar

Mohamed Salah's transfer to Al-Ittihad could be further complicated by Jota - who is determined NOT to leave Al-Ittihad.

The Liverpool megastar is subject of a late Saudi push to sign him. The Anfield giants booted out a £100m move but reports suggest the Saudis aren't finished there and are prepared to go as high as £200m to tempt them to part with their midfield talisman. Salah isn't pushing for the move but it's become an open secret that he would say yes to a switch to the Middle East if an agreement can be reached.

That stance has further encouraged the Gulf state, who see Salah, the most recognisable Arab footballer in the world by some distance, as an even bigger signing for them than Cristiano Ronaldo. And they are ready to throw as much cash at Liverpool as they need to in order to get a deal over the line.

But even if Liverpool do back down, the move is complicated by the situation at Ittihad. Current Saudi Pro League regulations only allow for eight foreign players to be registered at any one time and Ittihad are currently at their limit. They have ten on their books, including Jota, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Fabinho - and haven't registered Ahmed Hegazi or Tarek Hamed in order to stay within the rules.

The foreign player situation has led to a growing desire to offload Jota just weeks after his £25m move from Celtic. Of the eight foreign players they've used this season, seven have started every league game, while Jota is yet to start once. He's been used as a substitute by Nuno Espirito Santo, but sparked incredible scenes off the bench when he scored his first goal against Al-Wehda at the weekend.

Now reports in Saudi Arabia say Jota does not want to leave Ittihad so soon after joining and will