Mo Salah plot twist: Liverpool fans handed hope as expert drops Saudi transfer bomb

Robin Bairner

11 Dec 2025 10:19 GMT
5 min read

Mo Salah, Arne Slot, Liverpool — © IMAGO

Liverpool fans hoping that they have not seen the last of Mohamed Salah at Anfield have been given a boost by the news that a leading expert has said that a move to the Saudi Pro League does not make sense for the Egypt star at this point in his career.

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Salah, 33, sparked a direct confrontation with Liverpool manager Arne Slot by ranting about the Dutchman’s decision to bench him for three Premier League matches in succession following last week's 3-3 draw with Leeds United.

He was subsequently dropped for the club’s Champions League trip to Inter Milan on Tuesday, a match they won 1-0.

With Slot admitting that he does not know if Salah will kick a ball for Liverpool again, transfer rumours have been rampant over whether the former Chelsea, Roma and Fiorentina star will leave.

Inevitably, the Saudi Pro League has featured prominently in these conversations. The big-spending league has tried to sign Salah on multiple occasions before while there are a lack of obvious European alternatives for him to move to currently.

Salah to the Saudi Pro League? Don’t count on it

But as the transfer hype builds as the opening of the January window approaches, Dan Haddad, head of commercial strategy at Octagon, the sports marketing agency, has told The Athletic that a move to Saudi simply does not make sense for the player at this juncture.

“To me, the options seem fairly limited,” he explained. “What his management would want to do is still to position him, rightly so, as one of the world’s elite footballers, someone who finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or a few months ago.

“Commercially and for his personal brand, you would presumably be looking at a selection of six or seven clubs within Europe. But the likelihood of that move, from a financial perspective, seems very low.

“I personally can’t see that Saudi would be an obvious move commercially right now. The upside would be how much money he earns from a football perspective, but it doesn’t quite seem the right time for that.”

Current ETV

Mohamed Salah

F (CR), M (R)

Liverpool

Mohamed Salah

F (CR), M (R)

Liverpool

ETV Range

€36.1M - €44.1M

No Salah farewell at Anfield on Sunday

Liverpool are not planning a farewell for Salah during Sunday’s Premier League clash against Brighton at Anfield – but that does not mean he will necessarily remain at the club.

The Reds are eager to protect his transfer value, The Telegraph reports, aware that there are Saudi Pro League clubs willing to do “whatever it takes” to sign the veteran attacker.

It claims that any hint that Salah might be saying goodbye to Liverpool would drive down the fee they can potentially receive for him if and when he does leave.

In his post-Leeds statement, he said: “I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go to the Africa Cup of Nations. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”

With Liverpool playing their cards close to their chest and doubts over the commercial viability of a move to the Saudi Pro League being raised, Salah’s future remains open.

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