Mohamed Salah is set to remain at Liverpool beyond the January transfer window after interest from Saudi Arabia dwindled. The Egyptian forward’s most likely exit route seemed to be for the Middle East, but that possibility has faded since his controversial interview.
Salah sparked controversy at Elland Road in early December when he accused head coach Arne Slott of keeping him out, sparking speculation about his departure in January. He claimed to have nothing to do with slots and was frustrated by the lack of playing time.
However, tensions have since eased and Slott and Salah had a frank discussion before the 33-year-old came on as a substitute in the win over Brighton. Afterwards, Salah played for Egypt in the African Cup of Nations, which created distance between him and the club.
Salah’s contract runs until June 2027, with a weekly wage of £350,000, but Salah could only realistically be acquired in certain divisions, such as the Saudi Professional League. But his improved relationship with Mr. Slott appears to have deterred potential suitors from Saudi Arabia, at least for the time being.
He claims interest from top Saudi clubs has waned and he feels there is little chance of a deal being finalized in January. While signing Salah would still be a major contribution to the league, the focus appears to have shifted to signing young talent rather than established stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar.
Saudi clubs Al Hilal, Al Qadisah and Neom have previously expressed interest in signing Salah, and that remains a possibility after Pro League president Omar Mughalber said earlier this month that Salah would be “welcomed” in the kingdom.
This is not the first time such rumors have spread. Speculation continues over a potential move to the Middle East after Liverpool rejected a £150m offer from Al Ittihad to sign their star player in September 2023.
On December 27, after Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Wolves, Slott again addressed Salah’s situation. He said: “If you think about when we used him in the team against Brighton, it was a sign that we were moving forward so we brought him on as the first substitute.
“So we moved on, but now he’s at AFCON and there’s an important game over there, so it’s fair to him and the Egyptian team that we don’t talk about him too much here when it comes to Liverpool. But it’s also fair to the players we have here, because we have to play a lot of games too.
“So I think what we showed in our actions after the Leeds interview is in our best interest for him and for Egypt. And now he needs to be fully committed to Egypt and we need to be fully committed here.”
