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'Surprise move' for Mohamed Salah as talks over €20m per year deal start

8 May 2026 17:05 BST | 4 min read

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

Tom Weber

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Fenerbahce presidential candidate Hakan Safi has initiated talks with the agent of Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.

The Egypt international is set to bring the curtain down on his trophy-laden nine-year spell with the Reds this summer. Salah signed a two-year contract extension in 2025, but a combination of dissatisfaction with head coach Arne Slot and a dramatic dip in form has led to a mutual parting of ways.

Salah will be allowed to freely choose his next club this summer, with Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League emerging as his most realistic destinations. In the US, San Diego are deemed his most likely next club. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, several sides are vying for his signature.

Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are known to hold an interest in the 33-year-old, while Aramco-backed Al-Qadsiah have also looked into a deal. The latter do not need central funding to pay for Salah, which could be a crucial advantage.

European clubs are rarely linked with Salah because there is a general acceptance that most simply can't afford him, even on a free transfer. Unless he is willing to take a major pay cut, the veteran attacker will command a salary that would destroy the wage structure of most European outfits.

Salah on his way to Istanbul?

One potential exception to this could be the Turkish Super Lig. Clubs like Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have shown a willingness to spend big over the past 12 months, and this trend is expected to continue this summer.

Indeed, according to Fotomac, Hakan Safi has vowed to sign Salah for Fenerbahce if he is elected president. Incumbent Sadettin Saran has called for an extraordinary general assembly in the first week of June after the club's season seemingly imploded with a 3-0 loss to hated rivals Galatasaray at the end of April.

Mohamed Salah

Saran, who has only been the club's president for a few months, sacked sporting director Devin Ozek and, controversially, head coach Domenico Tedesco because he wants the potential new regime to start from scratch and completely overhaul the structure of the club.

Several prominent figures from Turkish politics, business and sports have announced their candidacy, including Safi, owner of port operator Safi Holding. It is claimed that he has already made contact with Ramy Abbas, the agent of Salah.

A hefty financial package, including a healthy net salary of €20 million per season, has been offered to the Egyptian. It is not comparable to what he could earn in the Saudi Pro League, but the chance to keep playing in the Champions League will likely appeal to him.

Second place in the Super Lig will be enough to reach the qualifying stage of the Champions League, but Fener can still technically pip Galatasaray to the title after their shock 4-1 loss to Samsunspor last weekend.

On the other hand, Fener could also still slip out of the Champions League altogether. With two games to play, four points currently separate the Istanbul giants from Gala in first and Trabzonspor in third.