Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool when this season ends. That much is settled. What remains open is where he goes next — and the answer to that question carries more weight than it might seem for a player in his mid-thirties. Salah has made clear he is not ready to wind down in Saudi Arabia or MLS, and the most credible destination at this point is Roma, a club where he spent time earlier in his career and where the affection for him remains strong. He has said everything will become clear after the World Cup.
Nine seasons at Anfield
It is worth pausing to take stock of what Salah gave Liverpool. He joined in the summer of 2017 and in his first season broke the Premier League scoring record for a 38-game campaign with 32 goals. He then helped the club to a Champions League title that ended a 30-year wait, and an FA Cup and League Cup double. By any reasonable measure he is one of the greatest players the club has ever had. The way the departure has played out — quietly, with no formal farewell announced at the time of writing — is perhaps not what such a player deserves, but that is how modern football often works.
Roma as the Most Likely Destination
The betting markets and sources close to his camp both point to Roma as the frontrunner. It would represent a full-circle moment — Salah spent the 2015-16 season in the Italian capital, and the club has maintained a warm relationship with him throughout. Whether Roma can match the wages he has been earning at Liverpool remains unclear, and it is not a trivial one. But Salah has been consistent in saying money is not his only consideration. He wants to keep competing at a high level.
Replacing Salah
Replacing Salah is not a task that can be solved with a single signing. His output was not just about goals — he carried the right side of Liverpool's attack almost single-handedly for the better part of a decade. The club's recruitment team will have been working on succession for some time, but whoever they bring in will be measured against a standard that very few players in world football could meet. It is the kind of problem you would rather have than not, but it is still a problem.
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