Mohamed Salah might have put an end to speculation about his immediate future by signing a new two-year contract with Liverpool recently, but that isn’t going to end talk that he could one day end up in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Pro League is expected to make another big play for mega-money additions this summer a few months after going big to sign Jhon Duran from Aston Villa. While Salah will not be on the list right now, he remains someone that top executives are dreaming of bringing to the region at some point in the future.
“We are interested in all international players. Salah is definitely at the top of this list, and we are happy to have him in Saudi Arabia,” Al Ahli president Khlaed Al Eissa has told Egypt’s Channel One. “God willing, at the right time, he will be with one of the Saudi clubs.”
Kevin De Bruyne, who has been linked with a surprise move to Liverpool in the last 24 hours or so, has been touted as a potential target for the Saudi Pro League. The Belgian, however, is thought to be keen to stay in Europe, with Napoli among those who are possible suitors.
Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, turned down approaches from the Saudi top flight last summer. Those have since returned but Manchester United has no interest in cashing in on its best player.
Salah was the subject of a $200 million (£150 million) bid in the summer of 2023 but Liverpool rejected it out of hand. Since then, he has remained a key cog under Jurgen Klopp and then Arne Slot.
(Image: Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
The Liverpool talisman’s new deal will expire in 2027, at which point he will be nearly 35. At that point, the Saudi Pro League might become more appealing, though it is not something he has given serious consideration to just yet.
“I think Makka (his daughter) was the happiest one in the family,” Salah said when his new contract was confirmed. “She wanted us to stay!
“Of course we all wanted to stay but Makka because her friends are here and the school. It was a very good vibe after the moment that I signed.
“I’m enjoying it a lot. I’ve been here since I was like 24, 25 so I’ve grown up here as a person and as a player. I’m also very happy when the younger players come to me and ask me questions.
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“I have a great relationship with everyone here. Sometimes I look at the players and just laugh because I know I’ve been in their situation before.
“Sometimes you just can’t handle the pressure and you just look at the situation from different ways. But when you grow up you see it differently. I’m very happy with my roles during the years.”
Liverpool.com says: It is one thing for Saudi Arabia to be interested in Salah but quite another for Salah to be interested in Saudi Arabia. Right now, there is nothing to suggest that he would fancy that kind of move.
A switch to MLS could be more appealing. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and co will be older by the time Salah’s latest Liverpool contract expires. At that point, he would be a major coup for someone like Inter Miami.
