Mohamed Salah is leaving Liverpool. That much is now settled. The Egyptian forward reached an agreement with the club last month to end his nine-year stay at Anfield at the end of this season, even though a year technically remains on his contract. Both parties have accepted the outcome and moved on — at least publicly. The question everyone is arguing about now is where he goes next.
His agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, has been characteristically blunt: "We do not know where Mohamed will play next season. This also means that no one else knows." Which is either refreshingly honest or a negotiating tactic, depending on how you read it. Either way, the speculation has been running hot since the Liverpool announcement, and it's likely to keep running until something concrete lands.
Why he's leaving
The breakdown between Salah and Liverpool manager Arne Slot became public earlier in the season when Salah complained that his relationship with Slot was "non-existent." He was more specific in December, accusing the club of making him a scapegoat after their 3-3 draw at Leeds — saying he was "thrown under the bus." Those are not small comments to make about your employer. By January, it seemed clear that a summer exit was the only workable conclusion, and both sides eventually formalised it.
This is not how anyone wanted Salah's Liverpool story to end. He is the club's second-highest scorer of all time. His contribution over nine years — three Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Copa del Rey equivalent on the domestic front — is genuinely hard to overstate. But football moves quickly and relationships in dressing rooms move faster, and by the time the agreement was confirmed, most people had already accepted it.
Saudi Arabia is the frontrunner
The clubs with the most realistic path to signing Salah are in Saudi Arabia. Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah both came close to landing him last summer before Liverpool tied him down to an extension. Now that he's genuinely available, those clubs will move with serious offers. The Saudi Pro League's interest in Salah has been consistent for two years — this time there's nothing standing in the way except Salah's own preference.
The agent's statement about no one knowing the destination could be read as leaving space for a European offer. There have been vague links to Roma, which would be a romantic fit given his Italian connections, but nothing concrete has emerged from that direction. Most people familiar with his situation expect Saudi Arabia to be the landing spot, probably before the summer window fully opens.
What Liverpool do next
Liverpool are already moving. They have been linked with several wide forwards this summer, with Rafael Leão among the names being tracked. The Salah situation has been handled professionally at board level, even if the personal tensions were messy. The club clearly started succession planning months ago. Slot's first full season has been complicated, but Liverpool remain in a strong position in the table. Life after Salah was always going to come. It's arriving now.
Player context: Mohamed Salah, 33, Liverpool FC (Egypt international). Leaving as free agent end of season 2025-26. LFC all-time second-highest scorer. Likely destination: Saudi Pro League. Replacement targets: Rafael Leão and others in discussion.
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