5 Landing Spots for Mohamed Salah Amid Transfer Rumors

Around this time last year, the football world was wondering which team Mohamed Salah might join as his Liverpool contract entered its final six months. 

The Reds left it late to get the Egyptian to sign on the dotted line, but in April 2025, he eventually agreed to a two-year deal that would keep him at the club until the end of the 2026-27 season.

At that point, the winger was in the midst of his best-ever season for the Reds, one that resulted in a Premier League title, the division's Golden Boot award, and a Premier League Player of the Season trophy.

But a lot has changed since then. Liverpool's title defense has been weak, and Salah has been woefully out of form.

The man who once terrified defenses looks a shadow of his former self, with his passing, shooting, decision-making, and general demeanour looking significantly worse than last season.

Those performances led manager Arne Slot to drop him from the first team for three consecutive games, and by the third, Salah had apparently had enough.

"I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don't have any relationship," he told the assembled press after a 3-3 draw with Leeds United.

"I don't know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn't want me in the club. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame."

With that extraordinary outburst, we're right back where we were at the end of 2024, wondering where Salah might be playing his football next. 

Ahead, we've looked at potential landing spots for the 33-year-old, with a route back into Liverpool's starting XI looking almost impossible. 

MLS

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The MLS is usually talked about as a landing spot for European club stars nearing the end of their careers, and it's no different for Mohamed Salah.

While a switch to the States looked unlikely at the end of last season, there is now a little more hope that a deal can be made.

In fact, San Diego FC has been tipped as a possible destination. As The Athletic observed, Mohamed Mansour, the club's British-Egyptian owner, could try to convince the Pharaohs star to swap Merseyside for the Golden State. 

But the push is coming from higher up, too. MLS commissioner Don Garber has made a less-than-subtle pitch for Salah to consider a career Stateside.

"Obviously, if [Salah] ever decides to come to Major League Soccer, we'd welcome him with open arms," Garber told the press, via Sports Illustrated. 

"I'd say he should reach out to Leo [Messi] and reach out to Thomas Müller and see how happy they've been and how successful they've been and how much they've really embraced being in Major League Soccer."

There would be financial hurdles to jump, of course. A switch would arguably have been more likely with Salah out of contract, as no transfer fee would have been due to Liverpool. 

The most an MLS side has ever spent on a player is the reported $26 million LAFC shelled out for Heung-min Son, and the Reds will likely ask for much more to let Salah go. 

There's also his salary. According to Spotrac, Liverpool pays the Egyptian $20 million a year. Lionel Messi is the only MLS player to make that much, while Son, the second-highest-paid player, takes home a reported $11.2 million annually, per ESPN. 

Still, the chances of Salah embracing the American dream look a little better than they did this time last year.

Saudi Pro League

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Once again, talk of a move to the Saudi Pro League has sparked up—although, truth be told, it never really died down.

Amid the contract saga of last season, it looked like the Middle East would be Salah's most likely landing spot. 

After renewing his Liverpool contract, he revealed he had been in serious discussions with SPL officials.

He told Egyptian TV channel On Sport, via Reuters, that a move to Saudi Arabia had been an option, and that it was a "good opportunity." 

"If I hadn't renewed with Liverpool, it would have happened," he added. "My relations with SPL officials are very good, we talked a lot, and the negotiations were serious."

If those relationships are still intact, negotiators will surely be knocking on Liverpool's door once more.

Real Madrid

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Could Real Madrid now be a possible destination for Salah?

There are a couple of reasons why the Egyptian rocking up in La Liga could be a good idea.

Like Liverpool, Los Blancos are in relative disarray, with rumors growing about manager Xabi Alonso's job security following a run of poor results. 

Among the Spaniard's problems is his difficulty integrating Trent Alexander-Arnold into the starting XI. The right-back has had his injury problems since joining the La Liga side, which has complicated matters, but the 27-year-old still hasn't looked like a great fit when he has played. 

Bringing Salah on board could make that transition a lot easier. The pair had a fantastic relationship on Liverpool's right-hand side, something that has become even more apparent after Alexander-Arnold's departure and Salah's subsequent drop in form. 

Meanwhile, Vinícius Júnior has also been tipped for a move to Saudi Arabia after a falling out with manager Xabi Alonso. 

The Brazilian was reportedly offered a bumper contract by the Pro League in 2024, per Reuters, and rumors have resurfaced after Al-Kholood chairman Ben Harburg told reporters that Vinícius would be a better option for the league than Salah.

While a potential Vinícius departure would leave a gap on the left wing, and Salah plays on the right, it would still free up some salary space that could go towards a deal for the Egyptian. 

With Rodrygo out of favor and Franco Mastantuono inexperienced, Salah could fill the right-wing role comfortably—and it might hasten an exit for Rodrygo, bringing in more money.

However, Real might not see the value in an out-of-form 33-year-old, but looking to the next generation of stars might be wiser. 

Serie A

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A player entering their later years isn't typically an issue in Italy.

Many have even found more success the older they get. Look at Luca Toni, Edin Dzeko, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Francesco Totti, Antonio Di Natale, and Fabio Quagliarella as examples of legends who still managed to bang in the goals in bunches well into their 30s.

With Salah hitting a slump and a World Cup campaign with Egypt on the horizon, what better place to get your confidence back than in Serie A?

In North America, the Pharaohs' Group G opponents include Belgium, New Zealand and Iran. With those opponents on deck, Egypt's first appearance in knockout football since the 1934 tournament looks entirely possible.

However, to do so, the national team will need its captain and talisman in top form. A rejuvenating spell in Italy could do the trick.

With a hotly contested Serie A title race, any of Milan, Napoli, Internazionale, or Roma could use whatever boost they can get. 

Salah's emergence as a star began at the latter, so a return to the Giallorossi could be a romantic way to wind down his career with potential silverware—although a lack of Champions League football could be a sticking point. 

Liverpool

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While the route back to contention looks treacherous, manager Arne Slot has at least suggested that Salah still has a place in his plans.

Ahead of Saturday's meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion, which the Egyptian hinted could be his last game for the club, the Dutchman said he would hold talks with the winger about whether he will feature.

"I will have a conversation with Mo [Friday] morning," he told reporters. "The outcome of that conversation determines how it will look tomorrow.

"What I need is a conversation with him, and the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. There's not much more to say about it. I will speak to him today, and the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow.

"You can try it in multiple ways, the next time I speak should be with him. We've spoken a lot in the last week, after the Sunderland game, there have been a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me."

It was confirmed later on Friday that Salah would be in the squad for Saturday's match at Anfield against Brighton.

With the player set to head to the Africa Cup of Nations, Saturday will be his last opportunity to feature for the Reds until at least the new year. Tensions could settle in the meantime, or the Brighton game could be the final straw.

But, tellingly, when Slot was asked if he wanted Salah to remain at the club, he didn't exactly plead for the Egyptian to stick around.

"I have no reasons not to want him to stay," the 47-year-old said. "This club has won a lot of games with him."

That's not a desperate attempt at reconciliation by any stretch.

During the contract saga last year, Salah said at one point that he was "more out than in." Right now, that seems to be exactly how Slot feels about the player.

To remain at Liverpool, the 33-year-old will either have to return to something even resembling his best or accept that he is no longer a definite name in the starting XI. As it stands, neither of those looks likely.