Saudi Pro League, the US or Europe - what are Salah's options?

By Aadam Patel (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/topics/c9wx1wnyxp5t)

Liverpool reporter

Regardless of where Mohamed Salah ends up in the summer, it will be quite the sight seeing him no longer in Liverpool colours.

During his nine-year spell, the Egyptian has become synonymous with the Anfield club but next season he will have a new home after Tuesday's news that he will leave at the end of the season.

Here, BBC Sport assesses the 33-year-old's options, looking at who could realistically afford him and which countries have shown interest in the past.

Destination Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly the first place to consider as his most likely destination.

There is the obvious link with Salah widely seen as a poster boy for both the Middle East and Arab world and such a connection will be massive.

In Saudi's eyes, Salah is a huge asset as the number one Muslim footballer in the world and, in that sense, it is a no-brainer.

In 2023, Al-Ittihad made a £150m bid that was turned down by Liverpool.

This was in Jurgen Klopp's final season before Arne Slot took over and guided the Reds to the Premier League title, fuelled by Salah's incredible season of goals and assists.

So what might the options be in the Saudi Pro League (SPL)?

The 'big four' of Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr, who are owned by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), know the impact Salah could have on the league as a global product.

Away from these clubs, Al-Qadsiah, who are managed by former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, are backed by Aramco, Saudi's oil company, and may well be interested.

With Salah now able to move for a free, that interest will certainly not dwindle and at 33, the SPL will be licking its lips at the prospect of having Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo at the same. But can the league afford him?

"Without a doubt," says football finance expert Kieran Maguire. "They're paying Cristiano Ronaldo £170m a year. Salah's currently on £20m a year so finances won't be an issue.

"The key thing is whether Salah thinks it's the right decision and, of course, you have to take into account the current situation with the conflict in the Middle East.

"Things might have calmed down by the summer but that will be a factor at play too."

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Join Messi in the MLS?

Could Salah follow in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and head to the United States?

The wages would not be as big as in Saudi Arabia but he would still earn a hefty sum.

The MLS has a wage cap but also the Designated Player rule – known as the David Beckham rule – that allows teams to buy star players. This has been used before for the likes of Beckham, Messi and Luis Suarez.

Messi earns $20m at Inter Miami, around £15m, but is paid between $70 million and $80 million a year when you take into account the player's ownership shares.

In December, MLS commissioner Don Garber publicly encouraged Salah to consider a move to the US, external (https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/mohamed-salah-mls-reach-out-messi-says-commissioner-don-garber).

"Obviously...we'd welcome him with open arms," he was reported to have said at the time.

"I'd say he should reach out to Leo [Messi] and reach out to [former Germany international] Thomas Muller and see how happy they've been and how successful they've been and how much they've really embraced being in Major League Soccer."

Inter Miami have the biggest wage bill in the MLS at $48.98m, considerably bigger than the rest of the league. Toronto FC, Los Angeles FC and LA Galaxy come next.

In a year where the MLS will be trying to extend its footprint off the back of a home World Cup, having an asset like Salah would be huge for the league in both a reputational and commercial sense.

"The Messi deal is intriguing because it includes massive links with brands like Adidas and Apple - it's far more complex than just football so everything is negotiable," says Maguire. "If somebody puts forward an actual project to Salah, then that could be interesting, whether that's the SPL or the MLS."

Remain in Europe?

By his immense standards, Salah is having a below-par season but he still has 10 goals and nine assists across all competitions.

When you compare that to the immense levels he has set - last year, he had the most goals (29) and assists (18) in the Premier League - then it's easy to say his output had dropped.

Crucially, Salah still believes he's good enough to compete in the Champions League and he could very much be an asset for top European sides.

For context, Harry Kane is a year younger and still excelling in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

However, it is hard to see Salah moving to another top Premier League club.

Newcastle are Saudi-owned, but, given the club's financial constraints under profit and sustainability rules, such a signing is unlikely.

"Only a handful of European clubs could afford his wages," says Maguire. "If he was to move in Europe, then the realistic options are Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona but the proposition would have to be attractive enough for him."

Qatar-owned Paris St-Germain could afford him, but in recent years have moved away from the model of signing the superstars of football.

In Lamine Yamal, Barcelona have a superstar in Salah's position while Madrid also looked well stocked in that area.

So all the analysis points to Saudi against the MLS at this stage.