Game over for Mo Salah as desire for summer transfer deal comes to light

Liverpool have got a problem to solve over Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian King, 33, is under contract until 2027 but there is a very real possibility that they will accept a bid for his services this summer instead.

Salah is making £400k per week - ever since Richard Hughes agreed a two-year contract extension with him towards the end of the 2024/25 Premier League title-winning season.

It’s fair to say the winger’s numbers are down since then - with no top-flight goals since November and a spell out of the team due to ineffective performances.

And rather than letting his deal expire - at considerable wage cost - the Fenway Sports Group decision-makers may listen to what bidders in Saudi Arabia for example have to say.

Al-Qadsiah and above all Al-Ittihad are reported to be keen in adding the two-time African footballer of the year to their squads.

But according to the Athletic's Simon Hughes interest from MLS might ultimately be what turns Salah’s head.

Salah would prefer MLS to Saudi Arabia

San Diego FC - owned by Egyptian-British billionaire Mohamed Mansour - are thought to be keen on recruiting Salah while Designated Player gaps may also open up at other American sides.

MLS clubs don’t tend to pay big money for signings with the likes of Son Heung-min and Emmanuel Latte Lath representing the league’s biggest incoming deals at around £20m apiece.

Whether that will be enough to satisfy Liverpool is another matter - although ridding themselves of Salah’s sizeable salary could well offset the loss of a massive transfer fee.

A decent offer is far more likely to come from Saudi Arabia - and that would put the decision in Salah’s hands.

“I've always felt that Saudi Arabia is a move that Saudi Arabia might like to make, although they've scaled back their investments in football in the last 12 to 18 months,” Hughes said on the Walk On podcast.

“There's a few conversations that I've had, points elsewhere, that the US might be a more attractive option.

“I don't think you can overestimate the importance of the lifestyle that Salah has as well. I think he likes living in the UK. I can't see another offer coming from an English club.

“But the information that I had even 12, 18 months ago was that the US was a more attractive option but it's whether there's an offer there I'm not sure."

LFC won't let Salah go for nothing

From Hughes' comments it becomes apparent that Liverpool wouldn’t intend to let Salah run down his deal until 2027 and that means offloading him at the end of the current season.

“I think if he were to leave Liverpool would want money for him, I think that's the key here,” Hughes said.

“I don't think it's as easy a deal as people just think, oh yeah, Salah's gonna go. It's like, it's his last season, definitely.

“First of all, a club needs to make him an offer that suits Liverpool. Yes, he's on big money at Liverpool in terms of wages and he could get him off the wage bill.

“But, you know, they still got a year left and I think Liverpool would like some money to go back into the market for the reasons that we discussed many times.

“You can't become a club that just lets players go for nothing, particularly when they've got time to run on the contract.”

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