TA on Salah: What we’re hearing about his future, and where would be best?

Mohamed Salah is facing an uncertain future.

The Liverpool forward threw his Anfield career into doubt on Saturday night when he stopped in the mixed zone after his side’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United and said the club had “thrown him under the bus”.

That fixture was the third consecutive match in which Salah had not been named in the starting XI, something he said had never happened in his career. It led to him saying his relationship with Arne Slot, the Liverpool head coach, had broken down and that this Saturday’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion could be his last as a Liverpool player.

In the aftermath of his comments, the Egyptian was stood down from travelling with the squad to Milan on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League win against Inter.

Salah has been at the heart of Liverpool’s successes over the past eight years, establishing himself as one of the world’s best players in the process. He finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or ceremony in September after scoring 34 goals and registering 23 assists in all competitions in 2024-25.

But there is now a real prospect that following an eight-year spell at Liverpool that has seen him win two Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup, one Carabao Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, he will not line up for the club again.

The Athletic has spoken to multiple clubs and agents, including those with direct knowledge of Liverpool, to gauge their views on why Salah behaved like he did last Saturday and where his future might lie.

The general perception is that Salah made his incendiary comments either because he genuinely wants to force a move out of the club or because he wants to put pressure on Slot, whose position was already under scrutiny due to Liverpool’s poor results in their Premier League title defence.

Liverpool’s stance is that they don’t want to sell. Senior club figures have pointed to the fact that Salah is under contract until the summer of 2027 and his recent spell out of the starting line-up was only viewed as a temporary measure.

They are bewildered at the speed at which things have unravelled, but there is also a feeling that the ball is in Salah’s court and he needs to tell the club what his intentions are. If he wants to leave, he needs to outline how that can happen, and Liverpool can then react.

So what could Salah’s options be and which market could best suit him at this stage of his career?

Saudi Arabia

If Salah is to leave Liverpool, his most obvious suitors — as is often the case for top players in the later part of their careers — might come from Saudi Arabia.

After all, it has become home to Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, as well as Salah’s former Liverpool team-mates Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum.

More pertinently, however, Al Ittihad, the Saudi Pro League (SPL) side owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), tested Liverpool’s resolve in 2023.

At the time, it was made clear to Al Ittihad that Salah was not for sale, but although their attempt to sign him was ultimately unsuccessful, it naturally helped develop a connection between the club and player.

And more than two years on, and in the aftermath of his explosive comments, would Liverpool’s resolve be so stern should Al Ittihad, or any Saudi club, come knocking again?

As it stands, it is unlikely Al Ittihad would make an attempt to sign Salah in January, as there isn’t a spot for him in their squad, meaning they would need to create space. Benzema is also the main man there, so that adds a further complication.

It could be a different story in the summer, though, especially if Benzema, who is out of contract, leaves the club. Al Ittihad also have the pull of being close to Egypt geographically and culturally and have enjoyed major success with Egyptian players in their squad over the years.

An alternative destination could be Al Hilal, the most successful SPL team in history. They are also owned by the PIF and previously pursued Salah in 2024 ahead of the 2025 Club World Cup, only for nothing to materialise.

Like Al Ittihad, Al Hilal do not have spots available in their squad at the moment, so would need to create space if they were to make a winter move for the Liverpool player. The Brazilian winger Malcom, who plays in Salah’s position, is out of contract in the summer of 2027.

Over recent years in the SPL, there was a strict understanding that whoever registers the initial move for a player gains first refusal in the future. That would mean Al Ittihad would have preference over Al Hilal.

However, that rule seems to have been relaxed, although the mutual respect between Al Ittihad and Salah continues.

Another Saudi alternative could be Al Qadsiah. They have the space in their squad, the required finances, and a desire to sign Salah. They are also set to move into a new 47,000-seater stadium next year, which could be an attractive pull. They are not the biggest club in terms of success or fan base, though, so it is unclear if they could lure Salah at this stage.

NEOM SC are also interested, but the newly established club is in a remote region of Saudi Arabia, which could work against them when trying to attract the biggest players.

United States

Another possible destination for Salah could be Major League Soccer.

One team that would be in the lead position to sign Salah if he decides to join MLS is San Diego, as there is a connection between the player and the club’s owner, the British-Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour, but that is highly unlikely right now.

Sources briefed on the team’s plans say Salah isn’t a priority or realistic for January, given the requisite finances necessary to pull this off. Perhaps this will be revisited in the future, when San Diego can still be ahead of other MLS clubs with Mansour owning the club.

Another MLS side worth mentioning is Inter Miami. They’ve just won the MLS Cup for the first time and already boast a squad that includes Messi and Luis Suarez. At this stage, however, they are not interested in pursuing a deal for Salah and are focusing on other targets.

Another option is the Chicago Fire, who made an attempt to sign Salah before he signed his contract in April and remain interested in signing a global star, having investigated a possible deal for Brazilian striker Neymar before he ultimately chose to return to his hometown club, Santos. Owner Joe Mansueto was also keen to sign Kevin De Bruyne and discussions were advanced with the Belgian midfielder, but he decided to join Napoli.

Spain

If Salah wants to stay in Europe, his options are limited.

Barcelona were in close contact with Salah’s camp during his contract stand-off with Liverpool in 2021-22 and made it clear they wanted to sign him as a free agent in 2023, but those attempts were put to bed when he signed a new three-year contract in July 2022. The club’s recent financial issues mean that any deal would be almost impossible to pull off.

During his stand-off with Liverpool, Salah gave several interviews to Spanish-speaking publications and didn’t rule out one day joining a La Liga club. He described Barcelona and Real Madrid as “top clubs” in an article with Marca, and when asked about the prospect of playing in Spain, he said, “Why not? No one knows what’s going to happen in the future.”

But Madrid, who signed Salah’s former Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold last summer, are already well-stocked in the attacking department, and besides, the club would not pay such a huge price for a player of Salah’s age.

Italy

Salah has history in Italy. He was one of the best January signings in Serie A history when he joined Fiorentina on loan from Chelsea in 2015, and it was at Roma that Luciano Spalletti, the coach he credits as the best he ever worked with, helped shape him into the player Liverpool signed.

All these years later, Salah may look at Serie A and think, “Been there, done that”. Even if he were open to a return to Italy, it would be almost impossible for a club to raise a fee, let alone pay his wages.

Spalletti is at Juventus now, a club still paying for the economic folly of signing Cristiano Ronaldo at a similar age. The Milan clubs are in profit and on the straight and narrow. They didn’t get there by signing 33-year-olds on monster salaries.

Sovereign wealth funds are yet to invest in Italian clubs. Their absence makes an acquisition of this scale a figment of the wildest imagination, even in a country where the tax regime, though not as favourable to footballers as it was a few years ago, is still attractive.

France and England

France’s Paris Saint-Germain once would have been touted as a possible destination, but last season’s Champions League winners have moved away from signing superstars in recent years, preferring instead to sign and develop younger talents.

As for the Premier League, it remains to be seen whether Salah would risk further jeopardising his Liverpool legacy by joining another English side.

While there is widespread admiration for him as a player, the Premier League’s tougher financial rules would make affording him a challenge even for the division’s richest clubs. You also have to consider whether Liverpool would want to strengthen a domestic rival.

In the days that led towards Mohamed Salah’s frustrations boiling over at Elland Road came a timely reminder of his enormous commercial appeal.

Landscapes might change in the years that lead Salah towards his eventual retirement, but, for now, a top European club would represent the greatest commercial gains if an Anfield exit is coming.