Several Saudi Pro League clubs have Salah on their radar, but sources say any approach would come only if the Liverpool forward signals a clear willingness to leave. Liverpool have received no formal bids for Mohamed Salah so far.
Teams including Al Ittihad and Al Hilal have pursued the Egypt international over the past two years, but Salah has not yet shown a decisive appetite to swap top-level European football for the SPL. The Saudi league has recently shifted its transfer strategy toward younger signings rather than high-profile veterans, although an exception could be made for a player of Salah’s stature.
Reports suggest Al Ittihad made a verbal offer in September 2023 worth around £150m, but that proposal arrived late in the transfer window and a deal was unlikely to be completed. Before committing to a new Liverpool contract in April, Salah was also linked with free-transfer moves to rival Premier League clubs and teams elsewhere in Europe.
The option of staying in the Premier League remains plausible, which indicates Salah may still believe he has significant contributions to make at the highest European level and does not yet view the SPL as the right next step.
Salah’s future was complicated by a public outburst after being an unused substitute in Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds. He said he had done a lot for the club and did not understand why he had been benched, claiming the club had ‘thrown me under the bus’ and suggesting someone wanted him to take the blame. He added that promises made over the summer hadn’t been honoured, that he had been on the bench for three games, and that a previously good relationship with the manager had broken down.
Following that interview, Liverpool left the 33-year-old out of the travelling squad for the Champions League fixture at Inter Milan. No formal disciplinary measures have been announced, and it is unclear whether he will be available for the next Premier League match against Brighton. Head coach Arne Slot said he had ‘no idea’ whether Salah had played his final game for the club.
Omar Mugharbel, chief executive of the Saudi Pro League, confirmed that Salah is a target for some clubs, adding that the forward would be welcome but that negotiations are a matter for individual teams. Views within Saudi football are mixed: Al Kholood chairman Ben Harburg has criticised Salah’s form since his latest contract and argued the league should prioritise a younger ‘next wave’ of talent, reflecting some reluctance among supporters about signing older stars.
Back in the UK, former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher condemned the interview as ‘a disgrace’, suggesting it was a calculated intervention intended to destabilise the manager and possibly strengthen Salah’s bargaining position.
The recent fallout has changed the dynamic around Salah’s future at Liverpool just months after his contract renewal. Any move — to Saudi Arabia, elsewhere in Europe, or to another Premier League club — will depend on how his relationship with the club develops and whether potential suitors believe he is ready to leave.