Mohamed Salah continues to be courted by Saudi Pro League clubs and, although he has reconciled with Arne Slot, there is a renewed confidence that he will leave Liverpool
Mohamed Salah #11 of Liverpool FC
Mohamed Salah is still being courted by Saudi Arabian clubs(Image: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
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Powerful figures in Saudi Arabian football are increasingly confident that Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool in the summer transfer window. Salah has been through a turbulent patch with Liverpool manager Arne Slot and, while a move this month is now off the cards, a decision on his future will be taken at the end of the season.
Salah has long been linked with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia and speculation grew in December after he very publicly fell out with Slot. The Egyptian accused Slot of throwing him under the bus during a poor period of form for the team and the possibility of an exit in January appeared likely.
However, Salah’s time away from Liverpool while playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations gave both sides time to consider their positions and the air has now been cleared. Salah went straight into the starting line-up for the Reds’ 3-0 win over Marseille upon his return on Wednesday and things have settled down.
The Saudi football gold rush is showing signs of slowing down, with a handful of the stars lured from Europe’s top leagues now looking to return. But Salah holds a completely different status as the most high-profile Muslim player in the world – and top Saudi sides remain interested.
The i Paper quotes a source from the country who feels a summer transfer for Salah from Liverpool to the Saudi Pro League is “inevitable”. It was previously reported that Al-Hilal, Al-Qadisah and Neom were interested in signing Salah, while Pro League chief Omar Mugharbel has publicly stated that he is welcome in the division.
The Telegraph have reported that Salah and Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior are the two primary targets for the league, with Sadio Mane, Fabinho, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema all potentially moving on in 2026. There is a feeling that the Pro League will need to make a splash in the summer transfer window to maintain their momentum.
That sense will only build if Kante and Ruben Neves leave Saudi Arabia this month. Ex-Chelsea midfielder Kante is in talks to join Fenerbahce from Al-Ittihad, while ex-Wolves star Neves has been linked with Manchester United, among other clubs.
Ngolo Kante of Al Ittihad
N'Golo Kante is among a wave of high-profile players who could leave Saudi Arabia in 2026(Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, the Saudi Pro League is also aware of the competition from the Qatari Stars League, which has already attracted Roberto Firmino, Marco Verratti and Julian Draxler.
Salah is under contract with Liverpool until June 2027 after signing an extension worth £350,000-a-week at the end of last season. Liverpool rejected an £150million offer from Al-Ittihad in September 2023 and have consistently insisted he is not going anywhere – and Slot was full of praise for his professionalism after the win in Marseille.
"It says a lot about how big a professional he is that he can be away for more than a month with a different team and be so fit to play 90 minutes for us after one day of training," said Slot. "He was so close to a goal. It would usually be a goal from him, but it didn't harm us because we scored three."
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