Mohamed Salah remains a target for Saudi clubs
Saudi Pro League chief executive Omar Mugharbel has confirmed that Mohamed Salah remains firmly on the radar of clubs in the Gulf state, reports BritPanorama.
Speaking at the World Football Summit in Riyadh, Mugharbel publicly endorsed the prospect of the Liverpool forward making a move to Saudi Arabia. “Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players,” he stated. “For sure Salah is one of them.”
The comments mark the first occasion a Saudi league official has spoken publicly about the Egyptian international since his explosive criticism of Liverpool and manager Arne Slot at the weekend. The 33-year-old was omitted from Liverpool’s travelling party for Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Inter Milan, which the Reds won 1-0.
His absence followed a remarkable outburst after Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds, where Salah was named among the substitutes for a third successive Premier League match. In a post-match interview, the Egyptian claimed the club had “thrown him under the bus” amid their recent struggles and declared his relationship with Slot had completely broken down. The manager has since rejected those assertions and indicated the forward could still feature again for the club.
Salah extended his contract at Anfield in April, signing a two-year deal, yet speculation about a January departure has intensified. Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has weighed in on the dispute, suggesting his former teammate acted rashly in airing his grievances so publicly. “He’s obviously really upset he’s not playing, which I respect,” Gerrard told TNT Sports. “A couple of lines about throwing people under the bus were wrong. [He] needs to reverse a little bit away from that, he needs to deal with that with the manager.”
The Anfield legend acknowledged that players sometimes lose their composure, predicting Salah would eventually regret his words. “I know in time when this all calms, Mo will go, ‘I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I was a bit emotional, I was a bit hasty’.” Gerrard drew parallels with Luis Suarez’s 2013 confrontation with then-manager Brendan Rodgers, when the Uruguayan was forced to train separately before eventually reconciling and remaining for another campaign.
Salah has been instrumental to Liverpool’s success since his 2017 arrival from Roma, contributing to two league titles and the 2019 Champions League victory. Saudi Arabian interest in the forward is well documented, with Al-Ittihad seeing a reported £150m approach turned down by Liverpool in September 2023.
Last season proved exceptional for the Egyptian, who topped the Premier League charts for both goals and assists en route to claiming the PFA Player of the Year award as Liverpool secured the title. His current campaign tells a different story, with just four goals from 13 league appearances as the defending champions sit 10th, three points adrift of fourth-placed Crystal Palace.
Liverpool face Brighton at Anfield on Saturday before Salah departs for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt. It remains to be seen how the forward will navigate this troubled chapter, but given the recent tensions, his footballing future may depend as much on what happens on the pitch as off it.
