Liverpool Left Stunned as Mohamed Salah's Contract Saga Takes Shocking Turn
Mohamed Salah has placed Liverpool in a difficult position by asserting the Reds have left him "under the bus," creating immediate doubts about his future at Anfield. However, reports suggest the club still desires to retain the experienced Egyptian star despite this "confusing" development.
Salah's sharp—and possibly calculated—remarks in the mixed zone after being benched for three consecutive matches last weekend caused a stir. He maintained he's being blamed for Liverpool's performance, stated he no longer maintains a relationship with manager Arne Slot, and even declared he doesn't need to compete for his team position due to his previous achievements.
Salah seldom addresses the media but employed similar strategies last season to pressure Liverpool regarding a contract extension. The agreement he ultimately secured was a two-year deal reportedly worth over £41 million ($54.8 million), representing remarkable confidence from a club traditionally reluctant to offer substantial contracts.
The Athletic has indicated that the impression of Salah among other clubs and representatives, including some with "direct insight" into Liverpool, is that he either seeks to compel a transfer or apply pressure on Slot, who is already under scrutiny due to this season's disappointing results.
The same report notes that Liverpool prefers not to sell Salah, regardless of his behavior. His contract remains valid for another 18 months and his exclusion from the starting eleven was considered merely "temporary." However, there's also a feeling of "confusion" within Anfield's leadership regarding how quickly this situation has escalated.
The decision rests with Salah and he must communicate his plans to the club, which may not be his immediate concern as he prepares to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, pursuing—as Jamie Carragher has noted—his first international championship.
There is at least "recognition" within Liverpool that Salah's position at the club might genuinely become unsustainable if he maintains an "inflexible" approach and no solution emerges.
Who Will Salah Join if He Leaves Liverpool?
Salah's possibilities for a new team appear quite restricted. The clear destination is Saudi Arabia, potentially the only location where he could expect to earn a similar—or likely superior—wage to his current Liverpool compensation.
As the representative of football throughout North Africa and the Middle East for nearly ten years, he would represent a significant marketing achievement for the Saudi Pro League, whose officials were publicly interested in recruiting him to their clubs before he committed to Liverpool in April.
Al Hilal, where he might reconnect with friend and former colleague Darwin Núñez, or Al Ittihad, instead of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr, would be most realistic.
"Mohamed Salah is welcomed in the Saudi League, but it's the clubs who handle player negotiations. Certainly Salah is [a priority]," SPL chief executive Omar Mugharbel stated just this week at the World Football Summit in Riyadh.
Lionel Messi has brought renewed worldwide attention to Major League Soccer and "significant interest" in Salah from American teams has been documented. It would require a club with an available Designated Player (DP) position to meet his salary demands. However, Inter Miami reportedly has different plans for theirs following the departures of Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, and Rodrigo De Paul's arrival.
Chicago Fire is suggested as a more realistic option, with San Diego FC as another possibility. The California-based team just finished their inaugural MLS campaign and, notably, are owned by British-Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour.
Both the Saudi Pro League and MLS would require departing Europe—the premier and most competitive level of club football. At 33, in excellent physical shape and benefiting from continuously advancing sports science to prolong careers, Salah remains considerably younger than Messi (36) when he transferred, and Ronaldo (37) when he moved to Saudi Arabia.
Departing Liverpool for another European club appears difficult. He famously once showed interest in joining Real Madrid or Barcelona. The chances of the former pursuing him are minimal, while he would directly compete with Lamine Yamal in Catalonia. Barcelona has found success with veteran Robert Lewandowski recently, but the club still faces financial constraints.
Paris Saint-Germain's current approach of moving beyond global superstars to focus on squad development makes that option unlikely, while Serie A clubs lack sufficient resources. Should Salah consider joining a competing Premier League team, he would completely tarnish his Liverpool reputation.