What Could Have Been: Liverpool Superstar Mohamed Salah Almost Signed for Newcastle United in 2011

After Mohamed Salah's return to the Premier League last summer - making a £36.9m move to Anfield from AS Roma - many people thought that Chelsea would be licking their wounds, after letting the Egyptian go two years prior for a bargain £16m.

However, there may be another Premier League side in Newcastle United looking enviously at Jurgen Klopp's men, with the diminutive winger close to a move to Tyneside way back in 2011.

According to HITC, Salah, while playing for Arab Contractors in Egypt, got wind that Alan Pardew was interested in him, and began to dream of a move to St. James' Park. The player himself wasted no time in speculating about a potential move, telling news agency Ahram Online of his imminent switch to the Premier League. 

However, a move never materialised, with Newcastle apparently baulking at a £500,000 loan fee for the then 19-year-old. As they say, the rest is history, with Salah sealing a move to Swiss team Basel the following year and making several noteworthy performances in Europe, memorably scoring a vital goal to dump Tottenham out of the Europa League in 2013.

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The Egyptian moved to Chelsea in 2014, making 19 appearances for Jose Mourinho's men before loan spells in Serie A with Fiorentina and Roma, where he moved permanently in 2016. 

Salah returned to the Premier League last summer under Jurgen Klopp and has been a revelation, scoring 28 times in 30 goals to reside as the league's top scorer, being the outstanding candidate for PFA Player of the Year. 

It is a case of what might have been for Newcastle, with Rafa Benitez's men in 13th, just four points above the bottom three, in need of someone like Liverpool's player of the season.