Mohamed Salah continues to be courted by clubs in the Saudi Professional League, with renewed confidence in leaving Liverpool despite reconciliation with Arne Slott
Mohamed Salah remains courted by Saudi clubs (Image: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
Saudi football figures are increasingly convinced that Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool in the summer transfer window. Salah has had a tumultuous time with Liverpool manager Arne Slott and a move this month is not currently in the cards, although a decision on his future will be made at the end of the season.
Salah has long been linked with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia, with speculation heightened after his falling out with Slott became public in December. The Egyptian had accused Slott of throwing him under the bus during a period of poor form for the team, and was thought likely to leave in January.
However, the air has now been cleared, with Salah’s absence from Liverpool, having played for Egypt at the African Cup of Nations, giving both sides time to consider their positions. Salah returned on Wednesday and started the Reds’ 3-0 win over Marseille, which calmed things down.
Saudi football’s gold rush is showing signs of slowing, with a handful of star players plucked from Europe’s top leagues looking to return. But Salah occupies a very different place as the world’s most high-profile Muslim player, and Saudi top teams continue to show interest.
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The i Paper quoted a source in the country who felt Salah’s summer move from Liverpool to the Saudi Pro League was “inevitable”. Al Hilal, Al Qadisha and Neom were previously reported to be interested in signing Salah, with Pro League president Omar Mughalbel publicly stating that he would welcome Salah in the division.
The Telegraph has reported that Salah and Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior are the top two targets in the league, with Sadio Mane, Fabinho, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema potentially on the move in 2026. The Pro League feels it needs to be active in the summer transfer window to maintain momentum.
That feeling will only increase if Kante and Ruben Neves leave Saudi Arabia this month. Former Chelsea midfielder Kante is in talks to join Fenerbahce from Al Ittihad, while former Wolves star Neves has been linked with a move to clubs including Manchester United.
N’Golo Kante is one of the high-profile players who could leave Saudi Arabia in 2026 (Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the Saudi Pro League is also looking to compete with the Qatar Stars League, which has already signed 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 a £150m offer from Al Ittihad in September 2023 and have consistently insisted they are not going anywhere – and after the win at Marseille, Slott praised his professionalism.
“For him to be away for over a month with another team and still be fit enough to play 90 minutes for us after a day of training says a lot about what a great professional he is,” Slott said. “He was so close to the goal. Normally he would have scored, but we scored three so it didn’t hurt.”
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