Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is "wanted" by Real Madrid - but the club's former president Ramon Calderon doubts that they have the finances to sign him.
The Reds forward has been prolific since moving to Anfield in 2017.
He is again leading the Liverpool goalscoring charts, but has been linked with moves elsewhere.
Madrid have long had an appetite for signing the game's biggest names and Salah now fits that profile of player.
Calderon though, whilst conceding that Los Blancos are keen, does not think they could afford such a deal.
The former Madrid president told ON Time Sports : “He is a great player and a goalscorer. He helped Liverpool by giving his best, but I don’t think they will let him go.
“It is expected that, if they were to think about it, they would only let him go for a lot of money.
“Salah is wanted, of course, by Real Madrid, but Liverpool would ask for a lot of money and, if that deal were to be completed, it would be crucial.
“Salah is a great player with fantastic potential, and any club wishes to acquire such talents, but for Real Madrid I do not think they have the financial means to sign Salah.”
Salah recently opened the door to a move away from Anfield in an interview he did with AS.
The Egyptian's stock has risen rapidly since he swapped Rome for Liverpool and that has caught the attention of Madrid and rivals Barcelona.
Salah was questioned on whether he would one day play at the Bernabeu or the Nou Camp and he said:"I think Madrid and Barcelona are two top clubs.
"Who knows what will happen in the future, but right now I am focused on winning the Premier League and the Champions League with Liverpool again."
"Of course I want to break records here and, I repeat, all the club records, but everything is in the hands of the club."
