Liverpool star Mohamed Salah will only leave for Saudi Pro League, with two options ruled out: report
Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah's future continues to be a huge talking point at Anfield
Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future continues to be one of this season’s key subplots, as the Egyptian star’s contract continues to tick down.
The 32-year-old is now just three months away from being able to talk to overseas sides over a free transfer next summer when the deal he signed in 2022 expires.
Salah’s form this season suggests that he remains the hugely influential player that he has been since joining Liverpool in 2017, with four goals and four assists in his six Premier League appearances so far, which has seen two big European sides recently join the chase for his signature.
Two options for Liverpool star Salah have been ruled out
Heavyweight duo Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are the latest sides to be pondering a move for the forward, who are eyeing the forward on a free transfer next summer.
But a report from journalist Graham Bailey has claimed that Salah will rule out a move to another European club, with the player only considering two options - either remaining at Liverpool or making a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
“I think if he decided to leave it probably would be for the Saudi project,” Bailey told Rousing the Kop.
“He wants to have that impact in Saudi as being a top player and to help Arab football in the Middle East. I’m not sure I could see him going to another club in Europe.”
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Salah has long been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, with Liverpool having reportedly turned down a £150million offer in the summer of 2023. Should he seal a free transfer next summer, Salah would be able to command an eye-watering salary, with figures of £10million a month being previously mooted for the player that FourFourTwo last month ranked as the best right-winger in the world.
Liverpool also have Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk in the final year of their respective contracts, with Salah last month telling Sky Sports that he has not had any discussions over a new deal.
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“Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts. It is not up to me, it is up to the club,” he said following Liverpool’s win over Manchester United.
“As you know, it’s my last year in the club. I just want to enjoy it, I don’t want to think about it. I feel I’m free to play football and let’s see what’s going to happen next year.”
In FourFourTwo’s view, Salah snubbing a move to another European side makes sense at this stage of his career. A move to the Saudi Pro League would clearly appeal in terms of being the face of the league and the vast wages on offer, but his form this year also suggests that Salah, who is valued at €55m, as per Transfermarkt, has plenty more to offer Liverpool, should he want to stay at the club.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.