Mohamed Salah Leaves Liverpool: End of an Era After Nine Years and 232 Goals

April 24, 2026

Mohamed Salah with the Egyptian national team at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final — Mohamed Salah with Egypt at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final | Photo: HazemGM / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Mohamed Salah is leaving Liverpool. The club confirmed it. He confirmed it. Nine years, 232 goals, three league titles, one Champions League. He is 33, out of contract in June, and will leave on a free. There is nothing more to negotiate.

It did not end cleanly. Salah told reporters earlier in the season that his relationship with Arne Slot was essentially nonexistent — that he felt "thrown under the bus" after the 3-3 draw at Leeds in December. Mac Allister said he was "sad" about it while acknowledging there was "something between him and the club" that nobody could fix. That quote says a lot.

Where it went wrong

Salah wanted a new contract. Liverpool delayed. By the time the club was ready to talk seriously, enough had been said in public to make trust difficult. Contracts for players over 32 are always awkward, and Liverpool's reluctance was not entirely without logic. But the way it was handled gave Salah every reason to feel undervalued, and he said so.

He still looked like one of the best wide forwards in the league this season, even through the uncertainty. That is what makes it frustrating to watch from the outside. The player was still there. The situation just could not be saved.

What Liverpool have to figure out

There is no direct replacement for what Salah contributed — not in terms of goals, assists, or the ability to turn a game in the last twenty minutes. Yan Diomande at RB Leipzig has been mentioned as one forward option Slot is targeting. But rebuilding that output will take more than one signing and probably more than one season.

As for Salah's next club: MLS is the most reported destination, though Saudi Arabia and several European clubs have also been linked. At 33 on a free, he will not be short of options.

What he leaves behind

232 league goals. Multiple Golden Boot wins. The season he finished with 32 goals and 14 assists — figures that had people comparing him to anyone who had ever played the position. A Ballon d'Or campaign that most neutrals thought was deserved. You could argue about how it ended all you want. The nine years before that are not in dispute.