Mohamed Salah to the Saudi Pro League feels inevitable — but will his poor form this season fast-track the Liverpool legend’s move to the Middle East?

A report from Spanish outlet Fichajessays several Saudi Arabian clubs have ‘their sights set on Salah‘ after failing to sign him in each of the last three summer transfer windows.

Mo Salah’s slow start to 2025/26: The numbers

• Fewer open play Premier League goals (2) than Moises Caicedo, Micky van de Ven and Bruno Guimaraes
• Averages 5.73 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90; averaged 9.49 last season
• 42.3% take-on success rate (58/137) in 2024/25 down to 15.4% (2/13) in 25/26

Salah to Saudi is a transfer link that refuses to go away. Alongside Fichajes, journalist Graeme Bailey says that a previous offer from the Middle East remains on the table.

Bailey told?The Boot Room Football: “Mo Salah and Pro League links won’t go away, but he doesn’t want them to; he will end up in Saudi Arabia one day.

“I can confirm that the Saudis’ offer to Salah is an open one, the deal is ready for him as and when he wants it.

“They are not talking to him now, and haven’t talked to him or Liverpool about a deal in January; they don’t really need to, they are ready when he is.”

Over in Spain, it’s claimed that Saudi Arabian clubs are ‘prepared to offer him a historic figure’ that would put him on par with Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Salah would reportedly receive around ￡150million per season if he moves to Saudi, and Liverpoolhave ‘not taken that threat lightly’ after agreeing a new contract with the Egyptian in April.

He ended months of speculation about his future at Anfield, but after a poor start to 2025/26, Salah’s name is back in the transfer rumour mill.

The report adds:

The continued interest and the scale of the proposed contract have changed the landscape, forcing Anfield to consider its options should money become the deciding factor.

Salah appears on the list of preferred candidates thanks to his media impact and profile that combines success, talent, and Arab-Muslim heritage.

Ultimately, Mohamed Salah faces a life and career decision: continue at a club that has given him glory and history or embark on a new chapter in an emerging league that offers unparalleled figures.

It is a big decision, and whether or not you believe Bailey and/or Fichajes, there’s no doubt that Salah can get Saudi clubs grovelling for him at the click of his fingers. Liverpool, though, will not let their superstar forward leave for below ￡100m.

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Liverpool would surely consider Salah sale if Saudi bid comes

Salah isn’t performing like a ￡100m footballer this season, but his form in 2024/25 was extraordinary. His new three-year deal means Liverpool still hold the cards — not him.

That said, after a rubbish start to the season for both Salah and Liverpool, the club’s stance might not be as firm as it was seven months ago when he signed.

Salah’s Saudi move has always felt like a matter of when, not if.

Despite his dip, Liverpool won’t be thinking about selling him, but if the player or a Pro League club initiate those uncomfortable conversations, the situation changes.

At that point, the Reds would factor in his age, wages and resale value, the sort of things that didn’t matter when Salah was posting world-class numbers last season.

If he were six years younger, his current form would be a blip.

But because he’s 33, the word blip is used sparingly, and the word finished is thrown around for fun.

??? John Obi Mikel: “I heard Salah was very close to Jota. He doesn’t look like himself, he looks like a shadow of his former self. I would be careful and very calm when criticising this Liverpool team. Let’s not forget what happened!” pic.twitter.com/afsZM5668h

— Anfield Football (@AnfieldFootball) October 29, 2025

Can Salah recover from his slump?

There aren’t many examples of a player of Salah’s quality experiencing such a dramatic downturn in performances and bouncing back to hit the same, or even similar, levels as before.

Karim Benzema comes to mind, as he scored 19 in 48 in 2016/17 and 12 in 47 in 2017/18 after scoring 18 goals in 36 games in 2015/16.

With Benzema, context is important. His numbers hit new heights in 2018 when Ronaldo left Real Madrid and he became the main man in attack. The Frenchman elevated his game to another level, but Salah has pretty much been the main man at Liverpool since his debut.

You also have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who wasn’t quite on Salah’s level, but similarly signed a big-money contract with a Premier League giant and saw his form nosedive.

After struggling at Arsenal post-extension, he did well at Barcelona, flopped massively at Chelsea (though it was out of his hands for the most part), and then came back stronger for Marseille, scoring 30 goals across all competitions in 2023/24.

Aubameyang was an elite goalscorer, appeared to be finished, but clearly wasn’t. Still, he was never truly world classagain after falling out of favour at Arsenal.

There is hope for Salah, but only two examples are hardly encouraging…