When Mohamed Salah takes to the pitch at Anfield against Brentford later this Sunday, it will be for the very last time as a Liverpool player.
After nine extraordinary years, one of the greatest players in the club’s rich history will be stepping down. The rest of the football world will have to spend the summer watching where he ends up next.
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Earlier in the season, the club confirmed that Salah had reached an agreement to end his time at Anfield at the end of the 2025/26 season.
With 257 goals in 438 games, he is the third highest scoring player in Liverpool’s history. He has won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Throughout the 2025/26 season, the relationship between Salah and head coach Arne Slot collapsed. The 33-year-old publicly criticised the team’s style of play after a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa and demanded a return to the “heavy metal attacking football” that made Liverpool so feared under Jürgen Klopp.
Slot has been reluctant to say whether Salah will even start Sunday’s farewell match. Thus, the possibility of an anticlimactic farewell hangs in the air.
A small muscle injury sustained against Crystal Palace at the end of April has created further uncertainty surrounding the farewell. Salah has nevertheless made it clear through a number of training updates on social media that he is fit and ready.
No matter how the farewell takes place, Salah leaves Liverpool as an immortal legend. The question that now occupies the football world is what comes next.
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1. Al-Ittihad (Saudi Pro League)
The club that has wanted Salah the longest, and the destination that many insiders still believe is the most likely outcome. Al-Ittihad made a staggering bid of $200 million back in September 2023 – a bid Liverpool rejected almost without batting an eyelid.
The Saudi giants have since lost Karim Benzema to Al-Hilal, leaving a huge void at the top of their squad.
The Saudi Pro League is one of the few leagues on the planet that can match or surpass Salah’s current Premier League salary. Since Salah is available on a free transfer, all the money can be spent on the salary package itself.
The cultural angle is also significant. Salah is arguably the world’s most prominent Muslim athlete, and he would represent a hugely symbolic coup for the league and for the kingdom.
Al-Ittihad have experience in securing big names – they brought in N’Golo Kanté and Benzema – and they will not hide their ambitions this summer.
The concern for Salah, if the sources are to be believed, is the level of competition. The Saudi Pro League is still a notch below Europe’s elite leagues, and at 33 – with abilities that are still clearly significant – the prospect of playing outside the Champions League is something sources suggest he is still reluctant to accept.
2. Juventus (Serie A)
If Salah chooses to stay in European football, Juventus may represent the most attractive target. The Turin giants have undergone a significant resurgence, Champions League qualification is back on the radar, and one name is supposedly high on the list: Salah himself.
The Italian connection goes deeper than most people understand. Salah spent two productive seasons at Roma from 2015 to 2017 and fell in love with life in Italy before Liverpool came on the scene.
His time in Serie A showed that he could adapt to a different style of football, and a return to Italy could provide the perfect balance: a highly competitive league with a slower pace than the Premier League, which allows Salah to keep his feet while performing at the highest level.
Kevin De Bruyne made a similar assessment when he moved to Napoli and found a new life away from the relentless drudgery of English football.
Juventus have hired Luciano Spalletti as head coach – the same manager who worked with Salah at Roma and helped shape his development into the striker he became.
3. Al-Hilal (Saudi Pro League)
If not Al-Ittihad, then their fiercest Saudi Arabian rivals Al-Hilal represent another serious opportunity from the kingdom. The club, which along with Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli are backed by the Public Investment Fund, has already shown its appetite for the world’s biggest names. Reports suggest that all four PIF-backed clubs have shown interest in bringing Salah to the Saudi Pro League this summer.
Al-Hilal can offer Champions League-level infrastructure, world-class facilities and an ambitious squad. For Salah, a switch between Saudi Arabia’s top clubs is not just a step towards retirement. It’s a chance to compete in one of the world’s best-funded leagues, surrounded by international talent, in a country that would treat him like a national hero.
The offer of a lucrative severance contract – guaranteed financial security for life – is increasingly difficult to refuse for a player nearing the end of his career.
4. Inter Miami / San Diego FC (MLS)
The MLS option deserves serious consideration, even if it represents a different move than the others on this list.
Inter Miami is the most glamorous destination. The Independent has reported that the club, owned by David Beckham, is willing to make Salah an offer where he will partner with Lionel Messi in Florida.
The financial packages offered in MLS should be roughly comparable to what Saudi Arabian clubs can offer. However, Inter Miami currently has no available “Designated Player” spots. All three are held by Messi, Rodrigo de Paul and Germán Berterame, which means that significant restructuring of the squad will be required.
San Diego FC, the league’s newest franchise, represents the wilder card. Their billionaire owner, Sir Mohamed Mansour, is a British-Egyptian businessman who has made no secret of his desire to bring Salah to Southern California.
The 2026 World Cup, which is being held in partnership with the United States, adds an extra layer of appeal. Salah, who would almost certainly lead Egypt in the tournament, would have had the entire American football audience as a potential new fanbase.
5. A return to Roma (Serie A)
Perhaps the most romantically charged option on this list – and one that shouldn’t be ruled out entirely. Salah’s two years at Roma between 2015 and 2017 are fondly remembered both by the player himself and by the club’s supporters.
He was electric in the Italian capital, in such form that he eventually convinced Liverpool to use what was then a club record – £36.9 million – to bring him to Merseyside.
Roma can also offer Champions League football next season. It will keep him sharp in competitive European football and give him a platform to reach the goal milestones he will undoubtedly aim for as he nears the end of his career.
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