Liverpool: Salah tipped to deem alternative ‘offer just as appealing’ as Saudi amid ‘regret’ reveal
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah could reportedly view an alternative to the Saudi Pro League ‘just as appealing’ as he’s ‘open-minded’ about an exit.
Salah‘s long-term future at Liverpool is in doubt as his current contract expires at the end of this season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are in the same boat and it remains to be seen whether they will commit their futures to Liverpool.
The Egypt international got on the scoresheet in Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Ipswich Town and he’s being tipped to have a huge campaign after having a full pre-season.
In previous transfer windows, Salah has been heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League and Al-Ittihad failed with a £150m bid during the 2022 summer transfer window.
Talk over Salah leaving has been quiet this summer but a detailed fresh report from The Athletic claims ‘new sporting director Richard Hughes has introduced himself to his agent – Ramy Abbas – but there have been no discussions about a renewal’.
While Salah ‘remains happy’ at Liverpool, he is ‘open-minded about the future and is more relaxed than in the summer of 2022 when it seemed he and the club would not find a compromise’.
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The report explains his ‘regret’ and his stance on working with new head coach Arne Slot.
‘Since becoming Premier League champions in 2020, Liverpool have won three cup finals, each against Chelsea, yet due to injuries, Salah has played a meaningful role in just one of them.
‘In the same timeframe, Liverpool have narrowly missed out on reclaiming a domestic championship, as well as the Champions League. Despite a promising start to last season, another title challenge fizzled out.
‘Salah reflects on this period with some regret, so he is more determined than ever to succeed rather than focus on what comes next. He also knows that a strong season for Liverpool will increase the demand for him.
‘As much as Liverpool will be assessing Salah’s role in the team under Arne Slot, Salah is intrigued to see how things play out in the post-Jurgen Klopp period, and he is not in a rush to commit himself.’
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The report also explains why Salah has ‘reservations’ about a move to the Saudi Pro League and why the MLS would be ‘just as appealing’.
‘While it is thought in Europe that the most famous Arabic footballer on the planet would jump at the chance of returning ‘home’, Saudi Arabia isn’t Salah’s home. It is a regional rival, a country many Egyptians believe is attempting to supplant it as the cultural centre of the Islamic world. Moving there would not necessarily make him more popular.
‘Salah may also have reservations about the standard of football in the Saudi Pro League, especially if he continues to perform well. The infrastructure in Saudi Arabia is still catching up and Benzema has been frustrated.
‘Salah may just as likely find an offer appealing from the United States. Currently, much of his branding is West-facing. Lionel Messi is there and the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., is coming, and Egypt are confident of qualifying.
‘While he would not earn the kind of money on offer in Saudi Arabia, a move to Major League Soccer would allow him to play in a division further along in its development, while experiencing a lifestyle relatively similar to England.’
